


Frozen flowers and glowing embers

by Laughingvirus



Series: Soulbound [5]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: A ridiculous amount of fluff, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Fire prince Felix, Fluff, Ice prince Chan, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:35:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 26,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24877801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laughingvirus/pseuds/Laughingvirus
Summary: The Prince sat in his castle of Ice, longing. The boy with the fire in his eyes waited.
Relationships: Bang Chan/Lee Felix, Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Hwang Hyunjin/Seo Changbin
Series: Soulbound [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1472321
Comments: 55
Kudos: 264





	1. Prince of the Northeast

The throne room was silent, almost eerily so. The room itself was rectangular, a massive wooden door leading into the room. A pale blue carpet with intricate silver embroideries led the way from the door to the elevated part of the room. In the center of the elevated platform, the throne stood. Pillars of crystal lined the side of the carpet and the sun was shining through the clear roof. Chan clicked his tongue in annoyance as he waited for his siblings and parents to join him. He had been informed that they would receive visitors but that was about it.

“Careful,” Hyunjung said as she stood beside him, “I can feel the excitement just roll off you in waves. You might be getting a bit too excited,” she joked and Chan snorted, rolling his eyes.

“Very funny, sister,” he said, running a hand through his pale, blond hair. He kept his eyes locked at the door leading into the throne room. “You still haven’t told me why we’re here,” he continued and Jungwoo and Jeongin both joined his side. He took his eyes off the door to greet his younger brothers with a nod.

“I set you up with someone, brother,” Hyunjung said as a matter of factly and Chan snapped his head around to stare at her. “Calm down, I’m joking,” she said, amused grin stretching on her lips and Chan could hear Jeongin giggle behind him.

“Very funny,” Chan said, shaking his head. He turned back to look at the heavy door again, back straight and head held high.

“You’re very serious today,” Jeongin noted and Chan hummed. “Why?”

“Had a feeling this is a rather serious matter,” Chan replied, glancing at his youngest brother. “Or is it, sister?” he asked, not looking at Hyunjung.

“It is rather important,” their mother said as she and their father joined them on the raised platform. “We’re receiving guests today,” she continued and Chan nodded, turning to look at his mother.

“From the Water Kingdom?” Jeongin asked, tilting his head and Chan bit the inside of his cheek as he tried to not reach out to ruffle Jeongin’s blond hair.

“One of the fire tribes leaders and her children are going to stay with us for a while,” their father explained and Chan narrowed his eyes.

“The Fire Tribes?” Jungwoo asked, raising an eyebrow. “What would they even do here? What’s the purpose of this visit? There must be a purpose because I have a hard time believing that people from the Fire Tribes would travel all the way from the southwest up northeast to just visit.”

“We’re looking to establish some alliances,” Hyunjung cut in, raising her hand. Chan took his eyes off Jungwoo and looked at her. Her expression was serious as she looked at the three of them, the playful demeanor she has worn earlier was like washed away. “Our kingdom has been isolated for far too long and I seek to change that,” she said and Chan opened his mouth to protest but she narrowed her eyes. “I don’t want to argue with you right now, brother.”

Chan pressed his lips together and nodded. There was a pause, a slight tension in the air between the six of them but the silence was broken by the door pushing open.

“Empress, Emperor,” the guard said as he entered, giving them a small bow. “Princess, Princes,” he continued and Chan gave him a small nod. “The fire tribe is here.”

“Lead them in,” their mother said and the guard nodded, turning around to leave the room. “Please try to be friendly with them,” she continued, addressing her children as they were once again alone in the room. “Hyunjung is right, we need to open up more to the outside world. So I ask you to socialize and be polite.”

“I will try my best,” Chan said and both his brothers parroted. The large door was slightly ajar and Chan straightened his back just a little more as he heard footsteps approaching.

The guards entered, the sunlight that filtered through the glass roof reflecting off their polished plate armor and behind them were a small group of people. They looked very out of place, dressed in dark browns and various shades of yellow, orange and red. There was a woman in the middle, her dark orange hair braided on the sides with threads of gold tied into the braids and away from her face but let out towards the back. It kind of resembled a lions mane with the amount of volume her hair had. She had a deep red line going horizontally across her cheeks and nose and a rune resting in the center of her forehead. The symbol was a simple vertical line with an X at the top of it. Chan hadn’t seen a rune like this so he had no idea what this meant. She stood out among the rest and judging by that she was their leader.

“Lawkeeper,” their mother greeted, confirming Chan's suspicions and the red haired woman smiled. “Welcome.”

“Thank you for having us, Ice Empress,” the Lawkeeper said, bowing and the small group she had with her followed suit. “It’s an honor to be here.”

“Nonsense,” the Empress said before gesturing to Chan and his siblings. “These are my children. Princess Hyunjung and the princes. Chan, Jungwoo and Jeongin. Our oldest prince is not here at the moment, he’s with the rulers of the water kingdom to act as their advisor.”

“It’s wonderful to see you,” the Lawkeeper said as she looked them over. I haven’t seen most of you since Jungwoo was presented. I’m still very sorry about not attending Jeongin’s ceremony.”

“I take no offence, Lawkeeper,” the Empress said, giving the Lawkeeper a nod. “Life happens.”

“It sure does,” the Lawkeeper said, her eyes lingering on Jeongin. “You grew up well, Jeongin,” she said and Chan glanced to the side to see Jeongin’s face grow a bit pink. He bit the inside of his cheek to hold back the smile. “I did not bring my daughter with me,” the Lawkeeper said and the Empress nodded. “The journey is long and we need someone from the family to remain at home. But I brought my oldest son with me,” she said, gesturing to the one beside her. Like most of the fire tribe members, he was bundled up in layers of brown, red and orange and Chan could see the dark red scarf around the lower part of his face and he had a brown hood pulled over. “This is Felix.”

The boy raised his hands, leather bracers tied around his wrists and red marks on his hands. He pushed the hood down, revealing half of his face. Dark orange hair was styled in neat curls, pushed away from his forehead to showcase a rune. A vertical line with a rhombus on the bottom with a short, diagonal like at the top. Red, feline eyes were cold as he looked intently at Chan before he pushed the scarf around his face down.

Chan had to remind himself to keep breathing.

The boy had the same horizontal line across his cheeks, freckles dusting his cheeks and nose. His face was small, heart shaped with thick lips and a button nose. Chan’s heart stuttered in his chest as he took in the boy’s features.

“Your highnesses,” Felix spoke, voice unexpectedly low and rumbling in his chest. It wasn’t what Chan had expected but it was a pleasant tone. His whole expression was serious, brows pulled together in a frown and his eyes cold as he looked at them.

“Welcome,” the Empress said as she looked over the fire tribe and the Lawkeeper smiled, giving them all a nod. “I’ll have someone escort you to your room to let you settle down before dinner.”

“That sounds lovely,” the Lawkeeper said as the Empress gestured for some servants to come over. “I’ll see you all at dinner then,” she said before turning around. A few of the servants from the Fire Tribe paused, eyes scanning the throne room again before they gave Chan and his family a nod, turning around to follow the Lawkeeper. Felix let his eyes linger on Chan for a moment, eyebrows twitching but his gaze blank. Chan licked his lips, twisting a bit uncomfortably where he stood. It looked like Felix was about to say something, but then he turned around to follow his people out the door.

The heavy door closed and their parents turned around to leave, quickly retreating back to their chambers.

“That was…” Jungwoo began, eyes on the door before looking at Chan, “something.”

“He… Felix…” Jeongin said and Chan took his eyes off the door to look at his brother. “He looked like he was ready to fight you or something. What did you do?”

“Nothing,” Chan said, thoughts traveling back to the memory of Felix. “Nothing at all.”

  
  
  
  


“So you’re telling me the Lawkeeper’s son stared you down like he was about to fight you?” Jisung asked, raising an eyebrow. Chan sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Please don’t mess up your hair, your parents won’t be pleased if you show up to dinner with messy hair.”

“I don’t know what I did but…” He sighed again, looking at himself in the mirror. He adjusted the collar a little, the white jackets collar a bit snug around his throat. “I don’t know.”

“I mean it is a pretty widespread rumor going around about the Ice Kingdom,” Jisung said, brushing his blue hair to the side. “We had it even in the Water Kingdom and I can only imagine what the Fire Tribes says about you.”

“What do you mean?” Chan asked, raising an eyebrow. Jisung was silent for a moment as he looked Chan over, reaching out to adjust the sash over his shoulder.

“What I mean is that…” he trailed off and his eyes flickered up to look at Chan.

“You can speak freely Jisung, I won’t take any offense and you know that,” he said, offering Jisung a small smile and Jisung nodded.

“In the Water Kingdom, there were talk about the Ice Kingdom and how ruthless and cold the rulers were. You’re an isolated kingdom with little interaction with the other parts of this continent. Mostly only take action when war is threatening to break out on the continent and if I may…” he trailed off and took a step back. “Your ancestor might not have handled the whole conflict with the Water Kingdom in the best way. Now I’m not saying that my kingdom had any right, but demanding a child from each generation of the royal family to live in your kingdom is a bit harsh.”

“I do agree with you on that one,” Chan said and Jisung hummed. “This might be why Hyunjung wants us to interact more with the others.”

“Probably,” Jisung said, shrugging before sitting down on the bed. For being Chan’s personal servant, Jisung was very casual with him but Chan honestly preferred being with Jisung as a friend more than he preferred Jisung as his servant. But rules were rules and Jisung was appointed as a servant, despite actually being royalty.

“I’ll speak to Hyunjung about sending you back,” Chan said after a moment of silence and Jisung chuckled, shaking his head.

“I don’t really mind, I like it here but I’m using it as an example,” he said and Chan nodded, running a hand through his hair again. “Please stop messing up your hair you’re making my job very difficult,” he said, laughing as Chan quickly fixed his hair. “But do tell me about the chief’s son.”

“He looked very serious and I guess he was expecting us to be cold or ruthless or something,” he said, shrugging and Jisung hummed. “But he’s…” he trailed off, swallowing hard as he turned to look out the window. He wasn’t sure if he should tell Jisung this or not. “He was beautiful,” he found himself say before he could stop himself.

“Beautiful, huh?” Jisung asked, his whole demeanor changing and he got that mischievous glint in his eyes. Chan immediately regretted his decision of telling Jisung about it.

“Yes but-”

“My prince,” Jisung said, cutting Chan off before he could explain himself. “Have you, perhaps, fallen a bit in love?”

“What?” Chan asked, eyes widening. “I met him today, I do not think I’ve fallen in love.”

“There is something called love at first sight,” Jisung said and Chan shook his head. “It’s entirely possible, my prince, for you to feel some kind of attraction to him.”

“He looked like he was about to fight me,” Chan deadpanned and Jisung just shook his head. “Please don’t push this matter. I simply find him beautiful, that’s all there is to that story.”

“As you wish, my prince,” Jisung said, the glint in his eyes still present and Chan didn’t like that at all. “Now let me fix your hair before dinner.”

“Thank you,” Chan said, arms dropping to his side. As Jisung stood up to help him manage his messy hair, he let his mind wander. Oh how he hoped dinner would be uneventful.

  
  
  


Dinner itself was very uneventful and Chan had decided to play a passive role in the whole ordeal. He simply listened as the Lawkeeper talked, as she told them stories about their home and he politely replied to questions when asked. He had wanted the event to pass as quickly as possible.

Felix kept his eyes on Chan and his siblings, eyeing them closely but he too replied politely to all the questions he was asked.

After the dinner, Felix quickly slipped out of the room before Chan was able to catch a glimpse of him and he tried his best to ignore the pang of disappointment as he too left the room. Instead of going straight back to his room, and risk getting a lot of questions from Jisung, he decided to head out to the garden.

Now living in the far northeast on the continent meant that their winters were long and their other seasons short and cold. Despite it being summer, there was a slight chill in the air and flowers didn’t grow that well here. But the garden was a beautiful display of dark green trees and bushes trimmed to perfection.

“Is it always this cold?” came a deep voice from his side and Chan snapped his head around to see Felix on the path between the pine trees. He glanced at Chan before back at the pine. He looked more relaxed now but still kind of guarded. “I’m not going to lie, my prince, but I find this climate very, very unpleasant.”

“I have to say, Lawkeeper’s son, that I am not surprised,” Chan replied as he took a step closer to Felix. “And I am sad to inform you that while this is about the coldest temperature we'll have, summer won't be much warmer,” he continued and Felix looked back at him, eyes wide.

“Really?” he asked and Chan was unable to hold back the smile. He was adorable when he wasn’t frowning. “You don't even have warm summers?" He stumbled over his words as he looked around them again, eyes wide. "What? Does the snow even melt? Does the grass grow or does- What?"

"You're cute," Chan noted quietly, immediately regretting his words but it seemed like Felix was a bit too caught up to hear. Chan cleared his throat. "The snow will thaw, somewhat. But it will still be quite chilly."

Felix stared at Chan, then down at the snowy ground. “Oh no,” he said, a low whisper mostly to himself and he placed a hand on each side of his face. He looked up at Chan. “I fear I will not survive here, my prince.”

“I can assure you we will do our best to keep you alive,” Chan said and Felix chuckled, lopsided grin stretching on his lips. “Would you like to walk with me?” he asked and Felix’s expression immediately sobered up for a moment.

There was a pause as he considered Chan’s question and Chan just kept his eyes on him.

“I’d love to,” he finally said, breaking out into a small but very warm smile. By reflect, Chan offered his arm but Felix quickly took his eyes off him, looking around the garden. “What direction?” he asked, eyes wandering over the plants.

“This way,” Chan said, clearing his throat in embarrassment as he let his arm drop to his side again. Felix looked over at him, eyes wide before nodding. Chan could feel his cheeks heating up and he began to show Felix their garden.

  
  


“So I have been conversing with the servant to the Lawkeeper son,” Jisung said as Chan exited the bathroom.

“Oh?” Chan said, raising an eyebrow as he patted some of the stray droplets of waters off his forehead. “What does he have to say?”

“His name is Minho,” Jisung said, leaning forward in his chair a little. “Do you need help getting dressed, my prince?” he asked, grinning and leaned back in the chair when Chan swatted his hand playfully at him.

“I’m a big boy,” he replied and Jisung chuckled, grin never leaving his face. “So, what about this servant boy of yours?” he asked, smiling as he watched Jisung’s cheeks grow pink.

“He’s pretty and despite being a bit… harsh upon first impression, he’s actually really nice,”

“Is he now?” Chan asked, pulling out his folded set of silk pajamas from his closet. He could hear Jisung sputter something as he went behind the folding screen to get dressed.

“He was asking a lot of questions,” Jisung said, seemingly having to recovered for the brief moment of embarrassment.

“About what?” Chan asked, peeking out from behind the screen.

“About this kingdom, how you’re treating me, how the other servants are treated,” Jisung said, shrugging as Chan raised an eyebrow. “I would find those questions odd, your highness, but hearing him speak of the Fire Kingdom, I get why.”

“Oh?”

“It seems like the royal family and nobles in the Fire Kingdom has a more… casual relationship with their servants. The situation is just different from the Ice Kingdom,” Jisung explained. Chan nodded, furrowing his brows as he took everything in. “And the Water Kingdom, if I may add.”

“I see,” Chan said as he continued to change. Jisung hummed and the two of them fell into silence. While Jisung might not have thought it was weird, there was something in the back of Chan’s mind that seemed to think that the servant to the Lawkeeper’s son asking questions was a bit odd.

He made a mental note to keep an eye on Minho.

  
  
  
  


The walks through the garden were becoming a regular thing for the two of them. It was nice; to just have casual conversations with Felix in a casual situation. While their official interactions were few, they both just tried to keep them as official and strict as possible. It wouldn’t look good for either of them if they just suddenly began to treat each other like friends.

All during this time, Chan hadn’t noticed anything weird with Minho and he had simply decided to not push the matter for now.

Snow creaked under their shoes as they walked through the garden. As they walked, Chan glanced to the side to see Felix, bundled up in multiple layers of fabric to keep him warm.

“So when does snow usually start falling?” Felix asked, adjusting his scarf as they strolled down the path along the outskirts of the garden. “Is it usually this cold? I feel like the snow came way earlier than it should have.”

“No it’s just on time,” Chan said, laughing as Felix pouted before looking ahead.

Chan studied Felix’s face for a moment. Felix’s eyes were wandering the mountain side, looking down at the city below the castle.

“And how, if you don’t mind me asking, did your ancestors get a castle up on the mountain side like this?”

“Magic,” Chan replied and Felix hummed, reaching out to place his hand on the crystal fence.

“Very strong magic I assume,” he said, taking his eyes off the fence to look at Chan. “It is something that runs in the family?”

Chan bit his lip, stomach twisting uncomfortably and he took a moment to just think before he replied.

“It is,” he said and Felix nodded, eyes wide and curious.

Something Chan had learned about Felix over the week he had stayed here was that he was far from what his first impression had been. He was a genuinely pleasant and caring individual with a sense of humor and he was curious about everything he did not know.

“Some members of the family have been stronger than others,” he added and Felix nodded again. “I’m sad to inform you that I’m among the weaker ones, Lawkeeper son.”

“Oh,” Felix said, lips shaped like an ‘o’ and Chan nodded, lips pressed together.

There was a brief pause and Chan considered asking about the magic among the fire tribes but as he opened his mouth to ask, Felix spoke again.

“I have to say, your highness, that I was wrong,” he said and Chan raised an eyebrow. “I was expecting you and your people to be something else, but you have indeed showed me that I was wrong.”

“Oh?” Chan said softly, crossing his arms across his chest as a small smile stretched on his lips. “How did you expect us to be then?”

“We’re…” he trailed off, eyes flickering around nervously.

“You can speak freely, Lawkeeper son,” he said, nodding his head.

“Just… just Felix,” he mumbled before looking up to meet Chan’s gaze. “Please just call me Felix.”

“I’m sorry, I cannot do that. At least not yet, Lawkeeper son,” Chan said, glancing around to make sure they were alone. Felix pressed his lips together and twisted a bit uncomfortably. Chan sighed. “How about Fire Prince? I cannot address you without a title.”

“I’m not a prince though.”

“You’re handsome enough to be what the stories call a prince charming,” Chan said without thinking and they both went silent. “I’m sorry, I-”

“No that’s okay. Lawkeeper son is alright,” Felix said, his cheeks so red the makings on his face almost disappeared.

Chan cleared his throat. “You may speak your mind Lawkeeper son, I won’t hold it against you.”

“Well,” Felix began, taking a deep breath as he let his eyes wander the garden. Then he looked back at Chan, his red eyes soft and Chan’s heart skipped a beat. “I will say that I was a fool to believe the rumors and talk going around. I should have known better.”

“Oh,” Chan said softly and Felix nodded, a tight lipped smile making a brief appearance.

“I thought… well I thought you were this kind of stone cold rulers, as some rumors speak of,” he began and Chan couldn’t help the smile that stretched on his lips.

He knew of most rumors and he knew that the Ice Kingdom was generally perceived as this very cold and hostile kingdom. That stereotype was exactly what his sister was trying to get rid of.

“But we’ve proven you wrong?” Chan asked, tilting his head a little. Felix nodded almost furiously and Chan laughed. He could see Felix’s cheeks turn rosy and he could feel warmth spread in his chest. He looked down at the ground, still smiling.

“You have,” Felix said. “The welcome you’ve given us has been very warm and I think-” he paused for a second and Chan looked back up at him. He looked like he had been about to say something but caught himself.

“You think?” Chan asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I think the future is bright,” Felix said, grinning at Chan. “No pun intended.”

That made Chan snort, laughter bubbling in his chest.

“I look forward to an alliance with you, Lawkeeper son,” Chan said, turning his face away from Felix to instead gaze ahead of them.

“I- Me too,” Felix said, clearing his throat. “Me too.”

  
  


The sun was filtering in through the tall windows of the library, illuminating the floor in front of the desk Chan was sitting at. He was absentmindedly flipping through a book of fiction, his thoughts occupied with soft, dark red eyes and orange curls.

Careful steps against the marbled floor snapped him out of his thoughts and he looked up to see a man he’d seen in the presence of the Lawkeeper and her two children. He had dark red, messy hair with a small face, straight nose and sharp, bright orange eyes.

“Prince Chan,” the servant greeted as he laid his eyes on Chan, his lips curving up in a kitten like grin. “I didn’t expect you to be here. I’ll take my leave.”

“No, no,” Chan said quickly and the servant halted, turning back to look at Chan. “I don’t mind. Feel free to explore the library as you wish. Just be a bit careful. My father is very fond of this collection.”

“That is understandable,” the servant said, his eyes wandering the shelves in the room. “It is a very impressive collection indeed.”

“What’s your name?” Chan asked, closing the book in front of him.

“Minho,” the servant replied smoothly, his grin widening. “I’m… a servant but also a protector of the Lawkeeper son.”

“Oh,” Chan said and Minho nodded. “If you don’t mind me asking,” he began and Minho tilted his head, humming a little. ”How is life as a servant to the… would you call it a royal family?”

”Ah,” Minho said, smile quickly stretching on his lips and he laughed. ”No I wouldn’t really call them a royal family but…” he trailed off, thinking for a moment. ”The chief’s family.”

”The chief’s family,” Chan repeated and Minho nodded, giving Chan an unreadable look. ”Jisung said something about your job being vastly different from his.”

”I would say my life is very different from his,” Minho said, crossing his arms over his chest and his gaze hardened a little. ”Isn’t he the son of the Water Kingdom’s royal family?”

”He is,” Chan confirmed, straightening his back a little and his jaw clenching. He could sense where this conversation was heading and he didn’t like this direction at all. ”With all due respect, Minho, this isn’t a matter I feel that comfortable talking about.”

”I talked to Jisung about it,” Minho said. He spoke slowly, as if he was carefully choosing every word that left his lips. Chan raised an eyebrow as he observed Minho. There was something about him that made him feel... Maybe he wasn’t just a servant.

”What did Jisung say about it?” Chan asked, more out of curiosity than distrust to Jisung. He and Jisung had discussed Jisung’s position in the Ice Kingdom a lot and he trusted Jisung enough to come to him if he was displeased with anything.

”When we traveled through the lands to get here, I heard rumors,” Minho began, changing the subject ever so slightly. Chan raised an eyebrow as he clasped his hands together, resting his elbows on the desk. ”Just here and there, spoken by no one in particular but…” he trailed off, looking down at the floor as he bit his lip. Then he looked up to meet Chan’s gaze. ”The rumors spoke about the Ice Kingdom demanding a child of the Water Kingdom and then forced the child to be their slave. I know the rumors were already a bit ridiculous but I could not help but wonder if not a part of them were at least true.”

”And you’ve spoken to Jisung?” Chan asked, his voice soft and he smiled sadly, shaking his head. He were aware of every kind of rumor about the Ice Kingdom. They were so far from the other kingdoms and tribes and it seemed like that had only spurred a whirlwind of rumors about them.

”I did,” Minho admitted, nodding his head a little. ”And I was a fool for even considering to believe anyone but the actual person it was about.”

”I’m glad you at least came here with an open mind, Minho,” Chan said, smiling as he leaned back in his chair. He glanced down briefly at the papers in front of him and then back up at Minho. ”I know we don’t really have a stellar reputation among the other kingdoms and the whole ordeal with the Water Kingdom isn’t making things better. But I can assure you that Jisung is a part of our family and we’re always trying our best to let him still be in contact with his family.”

”That’s good,” Minho said, gaze growing distant as he seemed to fall deep into his own thoughts.

”My sister is planning to call off this tradition and null that part of our agreement with the Water Kingdom,” Chan continued and that snapped Minho back to attention. ”I think that would be for the better.”

”It certainly sound like the better choice to make for this day and age, your Highness,” Minho said and Chan hummed in agreement.

In this moment, it struck Chan just how casually Minho was speaking to him. It was almost as if Minho was of the same rank as Chan. As Chan looked Minho over, he could tell that Minho didn’t carry himself the same way a servant would. It looked more like-

The door to the library creaked open and both Chan and Minho turned their attention towards the sound. Footsteps were approaching the both of them. Light footsteps with a slight skip in them.

Chan wasn’t able to hold the smile off his face as Felix rounded the bookshelf. Minho seemed to immediately have caught it and a knowing grin stretched on his lips. Chan felt his ears heat up a little.

”Did I interrupt something?” Felix asked as he paused, looking between Chan and Minho. He looked like he was about to immediately turn around and Chan wanted to stop him, call out his name and get him to stay, but Minho was faster.

”Oh no,” Minho said, raising his hands before Felix could get the chance to turn around. He paused and blinked, looking at Minho. ”I was just about to leave, sir,” he said, once again speaking slowly and carefully.

Chan was so busy staring at Felix that he almost missed the way Felix and Minho looked at each other. They gave each other a long, seemingly meaningful glance and it was almost like they were communicating telepathically.

”I’ll leave you and the Ice Prince alone,” Minho said, snapping Chan out of the daze and his heart felt a bit warmer as he saw the dusting on pink on Felix’s cheeks.

Chan took a deep breath, moving to stand up as Minho walked past Felix. Minho paused for a second and leaned closer to Felix, whispering something to Felix but his voice was too quiet for Chan to hear what he said.

”I’ll see you later, your Highness,” Minho said over his shoulder, turning to look at Chan with a smile and a nod. Chan nodded and then watched as Minho left him and Felix alone in the library.

”I sure hope I didn’t interrupt something,” Felix said as he turned back to look at Chan. Chan shook his head and a relieved smile stretched on Felix’s lips. ”Thank the gods, I’d hate to interrupt something.”

”We were just discussing some of the rumors about the Ice Kingdom,” Chan said and Felix hummed, nodding his head a little. Chan looked Felix over, his heart stuttering as he looked at him.

The Fire Tribe had been here for a little over a week and Chan was already this smitten. This didn’t bode well.

Felix was wearing his normal outfit, with an extra layer or two. His hair was styled in neat curls, giving the appearance of fire and his deep red eyes were calm as he looked at Chan.

”I’m terribly sorry for giving into rumors, your Highness,” Felix said but Chan shook his head, small smile dancing on his lips as he walked up to Felix. ”Both on my and Minho’s part.”

”I wouldn’t blame you,” Chan said, the smile still lingering on his lips. ”There are a lot of… questionable things in the past of this kingdom.”

”Of all kingdoms and tribes if we’re being honest.”

”You’re right,” Chan said and Felix smiled. ”But I believe we have showed you part of the truth and given you a good impression.”

”You have,” Felix said, his smile growing wider and Chan’s heart skipped a beat. ”A very good impression.”

There was a pause as they stood there and Chan glanced down at the floor for a second before looking back up at Felix.

”So,” he began, cursing himself for being so awkward in this very moment. ”What can I do for you, Lawkeeper son? Surely you must have a reason to come and see me.”

”Do I need to have a reason to come and see you?” Felix asked, grin on his lips and eyebrow raised.

Chan could feel his ears burning as he tried to sputter a reply. Felix laughed, his eyes crinkling up in that cute way and it made Chan’s heart skip a beat.

Oh he was so deep into this already.

”I was going to ask you to show me around the village. I spoke to your brother, the youngest one, as I wasn’t sure if you’re allowed to leave the castle grounds but he assured me it was alright.”

”Ah,” Chan said, clearing his throat as he tried to regain his posture. Felix looked at him with an amused expression. ”I’d love to show you around the village.”

”Perfect,” Felix said, excitingly clapping his hands. ”We better get going then,” he said and turned around just as Chan offered him his arm.

At this point, Felix had ignored Chan’s offer so many times that Chan supposed that he should be used to it already. It was probably just something that differed in their culture.

Chan shook his head and smiled as he saw Felix bounce off and towards the door. With the smile still on his lips, he followed Felix out the door.

  
  
  
  


“May I ask you a few questions?” Chan asked as he took Felix through the calm midday streets of the village. Few villagers stopped to greet them and in this moment, Chan felt thankful for being the middle brother of the family. He wasn’t as talked about as his other siblings.

“Ask you may,” Felix said with a smile and a gleam in his eyes. “But I can’t guarantee an answer.”

“I’m curious about the south,” Chan began and Felix hummed. “And I’m sure that I do not fully understand how things work merely by reading about them.”

“Depends on the source for your material, I would assume.”

“The fire tribes are not a united people, correct?”

Felix thought for a while, eyebrows knitted together and lips pursed. He looked cute and Chan tried to ignore the way his heart fluttered. “I wouldn’t say we’re a divided people, but we do not have a kingdom in the same way as you have in the north.”

“Ah,” Chan said. “So each village have their own ruler?”

“Village, territory, whatever you want to call them. Our place extends outside the bounds of the actual village but… Each village has their own leaders.”

“Plural?”

“We have a Lawkeeper and a Cleric as our leaders,” Felix explained and Chan could briefly recall reading about it but he couldn’t remember the details.

“So what is the Cleric’s purpose?”

“The Cleric is our spiritual leader,” Felix said and Chan nodded. “We- I mean, the Clerics are more focused on the traditions and all that. They’re the ones in charge during ceremonies and such.”

“I see,” Chan said. “The earth tribes don’t have that, right?” As soon as the question had left his lips he laughed and felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment. “I don’t know why I asked that. You’re not from the earth tribes so maybe you don’t know. My apologies.”

“Unnecessary apologies, my prince,” Felix said with an amused smile. “I don’t know much about the earth tribes, true, but you do not have to apologize for asking.” He rubbed his chin. “As far as I know, the earth tribes only have one chief per village. But I could be wrong.”

“I see,” Chan said, nodding. “You don’t have a lot of contact with those tribes?”

“My tribe has a good contact with another earth tribe, but not a lot of other tribes. My village is located just at the edge between the two territories.”

Chan nodded.

“My prince,” Felix said after a moment of silence and Chan hummed, looking over at Felix. He looked like he wanted to say something but struggled to formulate himself. “May I ask you something?” His brows were furrowed and he kept tugging at the wrappings around his wrists.

“I asked you some questions, so it’s only fair that you get to ask some as well,” Chan said and Felix nodded, tongue darting out to lick his lips.

“I’ve heard rumors about the ice and water kingdom,” Felix began and Chan pressed his lips together, nodding stiffly. He knew where this were going. It made him think of his and Minho’s conversation from earlier. “I’m sorry,” Felix said, noticing Chan’s reaction. “I shouldn’t-”

“No, don’t worry, ask what you wanted to ask me.”

“Is Jisung kidnapped and kept here against his will?”

Chan sighed, shoulders slumping. “He was taken here as a young boy to be taught by us. When he turned eighteen he was asked where he wanted to stay and he choose to remain here. I do think that taking a very, very young child away from their parents is wrong but please believe me that I’m trying to do everything I can to make Jisung’s life the best it could be.”

“I see,” Felix mumbled, nodding to himself.

“I know we’re not looked upon as the kindest kingdom on the continent,” Chan said and Felix hummed, offering Chan an apologetic look. “But we’re trying to reach out and show that we’re not what our ancestor painted us up to be.”

“I appreciate the effort,” Felix said. “And I know my aunt does too.”

At his words, Chan furrowed his brows. “Aunt?”

“Oh.” Felix’s cheeks heated up and his eyes went wide before he laughed. “My aunt as in the Cleric,” he said, smile so wide his eyes almost disappeared. “I’m very sure my mother appreciates the gesture to. It’s big, to be invited to a coronation.”

“I guess it is,” Chan said absentmindedly, turning to look at the street they were walking along. He then reached out to grab Felix’s arm. “Come, I must show you the best view of the town,” he said.

Felix didn’t protest as Chan began to lead him down the street.

Chan kept his back straight as he stood beside the altar. The sun was high in the sky, filtering in through the glass roof of the grand hall and as it hit the blue chandelier, it created a beautiful pattern on the floor.

A low murmur went through the large room and Chan let his gaze wander over the people that stood beside the dark blue carpet that marked the aisle leading up to the altar.

Among the nobles dressed in white and various shades of blue, Chan spotted Felix and he tried to push down the rising warmth in his chest. Felix’s hair was parted in the middle, a headpiece of golden chains resting among the orange curls and a ruby dangled in front of his forehead where the usual rune would be. He was wearing his usual palette of yellow, orange and red and multiple pieces of fabric wrapped around him. Over the whole attire was a shawl, the hem of it embroidered with gold.

“Stop staring,” Jungwoo whispered in Chan’s ear and Chan jumped in surprise. He hadn’t noticed Jungwoo sneaking up on him. “Careful brother, your affection towards the Lawkeeper’s son might be exposed.”

“You should stop sneaking up on me,” Chan said, clearing his throat as he reached to adjust the collar of his shirt.

“You might want to be careful though,” Jeongin said, appearing on Chan’s other side and Chan glanced between his brothers.

Both of them were wearing white suits, blue undershirts and the same type of crystal crown as Chan was wearing. Jungwoo’s shirt had the top button open while Jeongin had a white bow tied around his neck.

“It is rather obvious to anyone who spends more than five minutes in a room with the two of you. You know that the nobles are going to talk after this,” Jeongin continued.

“That obvious?” Chan asked, his heart dropping. Jeongin raised an eyebrow, tilting his head. “You think he knows?”

“As far as I am concerned, the son of the Lawkeeper is as obvious as you, brother,” Jungwoo said, his tone smug and Chan hummed, worry still gnawing on his heart. “You should talk to him when the ceremony is over.”

Chan sighed, brushing some of his bangs to the side and he straightened his back. The ceremony should start at any moment now.

“Can you imagine that?” Jeongin asked, breaking the short moment of silence. “The prince of the ice kingdom courting the son of one of the fire lawkeepers.”

“That sounds like a rather good match to me,” Jungwoo mused and Chan took a deep breath, trying not to let his face reveal just how embarrassed he was getting. ”Kind of like opposites attracts, right?”

This was just his brothers teasing him and he wasn’t going to let them bother him.

“Although I’d be a little concerned with the living situation,” Jungwoo continued and Chan clenched his jaw, biting back a reply. “One of you would just have to suffer a little, I guess.”

“But what wouldn’t you do for love?” Jeongin filled in.

Chan settled for simply rolling his eyes and ruffling Jeongin’s hair.

Before Jungwoo or Jeongin could say anything else, the doors to the throne rooms opened.

Hyunjung wore her hair loose, platinum blonde curls framing her serious face. She was wearing a white dress, adorned with pearls and diamonds that reflected the sunlight that filtered in through the glass ceiling. Lace gloves covered her hands and in stark contrast to the pure white lace, was a dark wooden box in her hands.

Chan’s heart skipped a beat as he laid his eyes on it.

Jungwoo and Jeongin immediately straightened their backs as Hyunjung entered.

The room was silent. Everyone was focusing on Hyunjung and Chan felt thankful for that. He couldn’t help to look away from Hyunjung for a second though, eyes finding their way back to Felix.

Felix looked stunned, just staring at Hyunjung with awe and Chan couldn’t blame him. But then Felix suddenly looked away from Hyunjung and turned to face Chan. For a brief moment the two of them were just staring at each other before Chan broke eye contact, his face warming up in embarrassment to have been caught staring.

“You’re ridiculous,” Jungwoo said from beside Chan. “If you don’t talk to him after this I will.”

Chan opened his mouth to protest but Jeongin spoke up.

“Shut up, it’s about to start,” he whispered and Chan pressed his lips together. He tried to focus on Hyunjung as the priest spoke, as she made her vows to the kingdom, but every now and then his eyes wandered back to Felix.

And sometimes, Felix was looking back at him.

  
  


The celebrations after the coronation was everything that Chan had expected. A lot of people were there, just like at the coronation, and while most of them kept around Hyunjung, some of them found their way to Chan. He had to bite his tongue as he was asked all sorts of questions. When were he getting married? Has he mastered his magic? Why is he still without a partner when he’s so old already?

“No offence your highness,” said Hyunjin as he joined Chan’s side. His golden blond hair was braided back, fastened at the neck in a low ponytail and he was wearing the soft yellow, flowing robes of the air kingdom. “But you look like you’re about to die at any moment.”

“I feel like I’m about to die at any moment, to be honest with you.”

“Understandable,” Hyunjin said, letting his gaze wander around the room. “I see you and the Lawkeeper’s son are… friendly,” he continued, his pale golden eyes snapping back to look at Chan, grin stretching on his lips.

Chan could feel his face warm up and he cleared his throat. He could easily spot Felix in the crowd, being one of the few to wear dark and warm colors among the nobles of the north. He cleared his throat and faced Hyunjin, his face burning. “Is it that obvious?” he asked, cursing himself as his voice came out as a squeak.

“Sadly, yes,” Hyunjin said with an amused smile and he brushed some of the stray hair behind his ear. “I won’t tell the Lawkeeper’s son though,” he continued, patting his lips. “That’s something you have to do yourself.”

“Thank you,” Chan grumbled and Hyunjin laughed. Chan took a deep breath before changing the subject. “I heard rumors about your engagement,” he said and Hyunjin’s expression went from smug to outright beaming with happiness. “I’m happy for you Hyunjin. Although I’m a bit sad I was not invited to the engagement party.”

“There wasn’t much of an engagement party, I’m afraid,” Hyunjin said and Chan raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know whether or not I should be thankful that the details of who I got engaged to got lost in the rumors.” He laughed. “I got engaged to a man from the earth tribes.”

“Oh.”

“Oh, indeed.”

“Pardon me asking, but how in the world did that happen?” Chan frowned. “Last time I checked, your parents kept you behind locked doors unless there was a gathering worthy of your presence.”

Hyunjin laughed. “Maybe I kind of got disowned by my parents because I snuck out,” he said and Chan couldn’t help but snort. “I met Changbin when he was in the air kingdom with his parents. I snuck out to see him, things happened and now I live with my uncle. He was the one to send me here in the good graces of the air kingdoms nobility.”

“That sounds like quite the adventure.”

“It was.”

“So what’s to come now?”

“Changbin is getting things settled back in the earth territories and when I return from this trip, I’m due to go there instead of the air kingdom.”

“Hm, that’s a very interesting turn of events,” Chan said and Hyunjin grinned. “I’m happy for you, Hyunjin.”

“Thank you, my prince.”

“I sure hope you’ll invite me to the ceremony,” Chan said and Hyunjin snorted. “To make up for the missed engagement party.”

“I fear my fiancé would faint if I told him the prince of the northeast requests an invitation to our wedding,” Hyunjin said, shaking his head. “But I’ll make sure to add you to our guest list.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll add the Lawkeeper son to the list as well,” he continued, the mischievous glint returning to his eyes. Chan paused and a smug grin stretched on Hyunjin’s lips. “You should go and talk to him, my prince.”

Chan cleared his throat. “I suppose I should,” he said and glanced around the room. Felix had been easy to spot earlier but now he couldn’t see him anywhere.

“He went to the balcony a little while ago,” Hyunjin said, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Thank you, Hyunjin,” Chan said, trying to keep his cool.

“Go and be a prince charming now,” Hyunjin said, gesturing for Chan to leave and Chan could just feel his cheeks burning at this point. “I’ll see you later, your highness.”

Chan muttered a reply before he pushed through the crowd, heading towards the balconies. He was almost stopped a few times on his way out by people who wanted to speak to him but he quickly excused himself.

Getting out of the castle was just what he needed. Fresh air filled his lungs the moment he pushed the doors open and he was greeted with a clear, starry sky. He took a deep breath, feeling the tension in his shoulders loosen and he looked around the balcony. It was large as it stretched along the whole length of the ballroom. Fresh snow had fallen and rested comfortably on the marble railing.

Not too far away from the door was Felix, his dark attire almost blending in with the night, despite it being a warm color palette in contrast to the coldness around him.

”Lawkeeper son,” Chan said as he joined Felix’s side. Felix looked away from the sky and Chan’s heart did that stutter again. In the darkness, Felix’s eyes seemed to glow like the embers of a fire.

“Just Felix is alright,” Felix said with a smile. “Lawkeeper son is…” He trailed off and sighed, a sudden serious expression making its way up on his face. “It’s not me,” he mumbled.

“What do you mean?”

“I just-” Felix licked his lips. “What I mean is that it feels stiff. It feels a bit weird.”

“I see,” Chan said and Felix nodded. Silence fell between them and they stood there, looking over the dark garden. “How did you find the coronation?”

“It was beautiful,” Felix said, the smile returning to his face and his glowing eyes seemed to sparkle.

Chan had to bite his tongue to not announce his affection at this very moment.

“I’ve never been to a coronation before,” Felix continued. “I didn’t know what to expect but now I understand why it was such a big thing.”

“It was one of the more grand ceremonies I’ve seen,” Chan said. “Given this was crowning Hyunjung as the Empress. The other’s I’ve been to haven’t been… as grand.”

“Interesting,” Felix said. He let out a short, breathless laugh as he stared up at the stars. “I feel like I’m experiencing a whole new world here.”

“In a good or bad way?”

“A good way,” Felix said, glancing at Chan and Chan’s heart stuttered. “Definitely a good way. I’m sure you knew both me and Minho had our prejudices before coming here. I mean, you did speak to me and I assume Minho told you some as well.”

“He did.”

“This kingdom is nothing like I expected it to be.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying your stay,” Chan said as he leaned against the railing.

Felix glanced at Chan again, the glow in his eyes flaring for a second. Chan couldn’t help but stare at him as he looked at the clear sky.

“Thank you,” Felix said all of a sudden, still not looking at Chan. “For making my stay so wonderful.”

Chan’s face heated up and he cleared his throat. “You’re welcome.” He paused. “Felix.”

  
  


Chan walked through the halls as quietly as he could. The light in the castle was dim, the only light source were the few candles on the wall as well and the dancing lights in the sky that filtered through the crystal roof. The hallways of the castle were silent as most of the inhabitants had gone to bed but Chan couldn’t sleep. There was something he had to do.

He came to a halt outside Felix’s door and he took a deep breath before knocking on the door. He tried to be as quiet as possible, hopefully not causing someone to come and check on the sound.

There was a rustling coming from inside and the door creaked open. Felix’s hair was messy, his face washed clean and freckles on display. His red eyes were wide as he looked at Chan.

“Chan?” he said, furrowing his brows. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m sorry to bother you this late,” Chan said, feeling his ears heat up a little in embarrassment. Felix just shook his head, a wide grin breaking out on his face and Chan’s heart did a little backflip. “I wanted to take you outside to show you something?”

“Oh?” Felix said, tilting his head a little. “Well then,” he continued, nodding. “I’ll just put on a coat.”

Chan nodded mutely as Felix turned around to retrieve the coat Chan had gotten tailored for him. He quickly pulled it over his shoulder, buttoning it all the way. He looked adorable, with the fur lining of the hood almost blending in with his orange hair.

“Ready to leave?” Chan asked and Felix nodded. He considered offering his arm for a moment but then recalled every time that Felix had ignored it.

“Are you not going to offer me your arm?” Felix asked as he closed his bedroom door behind him. Chan blinked, eyes wide. “I spoke to Jisung and he explained that to me,” he said and Chan could see his cheeks grow pink. “I’m terribly sorry I’ve ignored you every other time.”

“Oh no, don’t worry,” Chan said, biting his lip as they stood outside Felix’s room. There was a pause before he offered Felix his arm. “I assume this isn’t something you do in the fire tribes?” he asked as Felix hooked his arm with Chan’s.

“Nope,” Felix said, popping the ‘p’ and Chan almost wanted to curse him from being too adorable. He took a deep breath before he began to walk, leading Felix out the castle. “I feel really bad for ignoring you,” he said after a moment but Chan shook his head.

“Cultural differences,” he replied and Felix hummed.

They continued to walk through the halls in silence, their footsteps as light as possible. Felix’s gaze flickered around the space as they walked, taking in every detail around him and Chan glanced at him every now and then; when their gazes accidentally met, Chan found himself quickly looking away and his cheeks heating up.

When they exited the castle, Felix’s eyes immediately went to the sky and Chan watched his expression as he took everything in.

“What…” he trailed off, eyes wide and the light in the sky reflecting in his eyes. Chan took his eyes off Felix to look up at the sky.

The sky was clear, not single cloud obscuring the silver stars on the dark blue canvas. But while the sky itself was a beautiful view, that was not what caught the attention. On the dark sky, over the stars, was a stunning display of lights dancing. Various shades of green, yellow and purple danced over the whole sky, twisting and turning.

“This is what we call a northern light,” Chan explained and Felix nodded, not taking his eyes off the sky. Chan began to lead Felix through the garden, away from the castle and the possible onlooker. He wanted them to have some peace and quiet.

“It’s beautiful,” Felix breathed. Chan hummed as they came to a halt among a section in the garden among the taller firs. Felix let go of Chan’s arm and took a step away from him, eyes fixed on the sky. The light was dim, the only light source being the lights above them but as Chan looked closer, he could see the faint glow emitting from Felix’s eyes.

“Your eyes are glowing,” Chan said before he could stop himself and Felix took his eyes off the dancing lights above to meet Chan’s gaze. Chan cleared his throat, embarrassment washing over him. “I mean- I’ve seen it before but-” He swallowed. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Felix said, smiling and his eyes crinkled into small crescent moons as he did. “They do that when it’s dark. It’s a trait all fire tribe members has.” They both fell into silence as Felix glanced up to the sky again and Chan kept his eyes trained on Felix. “Thank you,” Felix spoke, breaking the silence again.

“For what?” Chan asked, tilting his head a little. Felix chuckled and Chan’s heart squeezed.

“For showing me this,” he said, gesturing to the lights above them. “I haven’t seen anything like this and… it’s breathtaking.”

“It’s nothing…” Chan said, averting his eyes. He took a deep breath before looking back at Felix. “There’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Oh?”

“I…” he trailed off, biting his lip. “I think I have fallen in love with you, Felix,” he said, his heart immediately feeling lighter. “I’m not asking you for a return of affection, but I wanted to be honest with you.”

Felix was quiet, staring at Chan with wide eyes and Chan bit his lip, averting his eyes. “You… You’re in love with me?” Felix asked, taking a step closer to Chan. Chan nodded, nervousness swirling in his chest. Felix stopped in front of him, eyes studying Chan’s face. “You are aware that I am no royalty?” he asked. “I’m barely even a noble.”

“I don’t care about your status,” Chan whispered as Felix reached up a hand to brush some of Chan’s hair away from his forehead. “I have fallen in love with you for who you are, not your status.” He met Felix’s gaze and the two of them just simply held eye contact for a moment. “If you don’t feel the same way it’s o-”

“I am head over heels in love with you, Prince Chan,” Felix whispered and a deafening silence followed his quiet words as Chan processed them. “Can I kiss you?” he asked, moving his hand from Chan’s hair to brush his fingers over Chan’s jaw. His fingers were gentle and so warm against Chan’s skin.

“Please,” Chan whispered as he leaned in a little. His heart was drumming against his ribcage as Felix leaned a bit closer. Chan could almost feel the heat from Felix’s mere presence and his chest tightened as Felix’s nose brushed against his. “Just call me Chan,” he whispered just as Felix kissed him.

Felix’s lips were so warm as they pressed against Chan’s cold ones. There was a pause as they both took in the temperature difference but Chan began to move his lips against Felix’s, coaxing him to follow. Felix was so gentle, so careful as they kissed. Chan couldn’t help but smile into the kiss, his heart squeezing as Felix broke the kiss with a laugh.

“You’re so unbearably charming, my prince,” he whispered, moving his hand from Chan’s jaw to the back of his head to tangle his fingers in Chan’s thick locks. Chan hummed, moving his hand to rest it on Felix’s waist and tug him a bit closer.

“You’re very, very charming as well, Lawkeeper son,” he said, Felix almost cutting him off by pressing his lips against Chan’s again. “Do you want to go back inside?” he asked, lips brushing over Felix’s. “It’s late and I really don’t want you to freeze.”

“Can we stay for a bit longer?” Felix asked, kissing Chan yet again. “Just a bit longer.”

“Yes,” Chan whispered, unable to hold the smile off his face. His heart fluttered in his chest and he took a deep breath. “Yes we can.”

  
  
  


The coming days were pleasant and Chan felt like he was walking on clouds. He knew Felix wouldn’t be here for much longer and he made sure to spend as much time as possible together with the Lawkeeper Son. He tried to keep their meetings limited to places where they could be alone, where no one would frown as they kissed. He still wasn’t sure how his parents would react if they caught him. He knew neither of them were subtle with their affection, so he was fairly certain that his parents already knew but there was a difference between knowing and seeing it.

As time progressed, they both became increasingly bold and Chan wasn’t sure how they got there, but one evening he found himself in the same bed as Felix. Both of them were still dressed without the intention to undress the other. Chan wouldn’t consider himself conservative, but he didn’t feel the need to rush into a physical relationship with Felix. Just laying among the soft sheets with Felix pressed against him was alright for now.

“I feel bad,” Chan said as Felix laid snuggled into his side. Felix moved a little, curious eyes glancing at Chan as he waited for Chan to continue. He was holding Chan’s hand in his, his skin rough against Chan’s hands. “My hands are very cold. Am I making you too cold?”

Felix shook his head. “I don’t mind,” he replied, lacing his fingers together with Chan’s. His skin was radiating heat, but not to the point where it made Chan uncomfortable. It was a pleasant warmth. “Your hands are so soft,” he murmured, brushing the fingers of his free hand over the back of Chan’s hand.

“I don’t do a lot of… physical labor,” Chan said, feeling his cheeks heat up and he averted his eyes. He could feel Felix trace a pattern on the back of his hand, from his knuckle down to his wrist. He brought his hand back up to the knuckle where he had started, tracing a diagonal line towards Chan’s thumb and then back to the line he had previously traced. Every touched left Chan’s skin buzzing with warmth and his heart felt almost too big for his ribcage. Felix brought Chan’s hand to his lips, pressing a feather light kiss on his hand.

“You have pretty hands,” he whispered, looking back up at Chan. His eyes were a deep red color, the look in them so peaceful.

“Your hands are pretty too,” Chan said, voice low and rumbling in his chest. He loosened his grip of Felix’s hand and Felix let him take his hand in both his. He turned Felix’s hand over, brushing his fingers over the palm of his hand. “I like your hands.”

“One day I’d like to bring you to the fire tribes,” Felix said absentmindedly as Chan traced invisible patterns on his hands. “I want to…” he trailed off and Chan glanced over at him to see a small smile tug on his lips. “I want to show you my home and share my culture with you.”

Chan’s heart skipped a beat. “Oh.”

Felix pulled back a little and looked up at Chan. “Was that too soon?” he asked, brows furrowed

“No, it’s not too soon,” Chan said, wrapping his fingers around Felix’s. “I’d love to see the Fire Tribes one day.”

Felix’s eyes brightened and Chan’s heart skipped a beat. “I’ll talk to Minho about it!” He bit his lip as if he had just misspoken and Chan tilted his head. “Just to see if we can arrange that. We will need my mother’s blessings too, of course.”

“Of course,” Chan said, relaxing a little bit and he sank back into the pillows. “I’ll talk to Hyunjung about this as well.”

“Please,” Felix said, shifting again so that he was curled up in Chan’s side.

As they laid there, Chan’s mind began to wander. He felt so comfortable and at ease in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time. He felt relaxed. Felix wouldn’t stay here forever and he had started to prepare himself for that moment, but the thought of traveling to the Fire Tribes with Felix made him feel happy. As he laid there, he realized that maybe he had fallen a bit deeper for Felix than he had initially thought.

As he laid there, he wished that this moment would just last forever.

  
  
  
  


“How are things between you and Felix?” Hyunjung asked one day as she and Chan walked through the garden. The sun was shining down upon them, warming up the land around them. The ice and snow was still not yet thawing but it grew closer with every passing day.

“Good,” Chan said, taking a deep breath as Hyunjung raised an eyebrow. He laughed to himself, a short and breathless laugh. “Just… just perfect.”

“That’s good,” she said, her expression softening and she stopped walking. Chan also stopped, brows furrowing as he looked at his sister. She studied his face before brushing some of his hair away from his forehead. “I’m glad you found him.”

“I’m glad you invited him here,” Chan said and Hyunjung smiled.

“He came to me to ask if he could take you to the fire tribes at some point,” she continued and Chan’s ears began to heat up in embarrassment.

“He did?” Hyunjung nodded and Chan swallowed hard. “What did you say?”

“I think that’s alright,” Hyunjung said, the smile still lingering on her lips. “I think it would only do us good if we had an ambassador among the Fire Tribes,” she continued. “In case our parents require an explanation for your departure.”

“I- Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, little brother,” Hyunjung said, brushing the back of her fingers over Chan’s cheek. “I only want you to be happy, you know?”

Chan looked down, licking his dry lips and he had to bite his tongue to hold back the wide smile. His chest felt all warm and it was as if happiness was bubbling and threatening to erupt from him like a volcano.

“I’m very happy,” he said as he looked up at her. “Thank you.”

“You can stop thanking me,” Hyunjung said as she took a step back. Her smile faded for a brief second. “What you can do instead is to keep an open mind.”

“An open mind to what?” Chan asked, brows furrowed at the sudden turn of the conversation.

“An open mind to everything,” Hyunjung said, patting Chan on the cheek. “Don’t be too quick to judge things, alright? Take a moment and maybe listen, hm?”

“Alright?” Chan said, even though he didn’t really understand what Hyunjung was talking about. “I’m very confused but… alright. I’ll keep it in mind.”

“Thank you, Chan,” Hyunjung said and gestured for Chan to continue to walk with her. There was a moment of silence between them, the only sounds being the creaking of the snow under their feet and the chirping of birds around them. “Has Felix asked you to join him to the tribes yet?”

“He did say he wanted to bring me there,” Chan said, feeling a bit embarrassed to be talking about this with Hyunjung. “He said he would need to discuss this with his mother, and I needed to discuss it with you before we could say anything for certain.”

“Wise decision,” she mused. “I’ve given you my blessings, so I think you only need his mothers now.”

“Yeah,” Chan said quietly, ignoring the way his heart did a little flip in his chest. The thought of traveling to the Fire Tribes together with Felix caused excitement to bubble in his chest and he wasn’t sure how to handle it.

  
  


There was a knock on Chan’s door and Chan looked up from the book he was reading. He glanced to his window, furrowing his brows as stood up. Night had fallen and the sky was pitch black outside castle. He approached the door and pushed it open.

“Felix?” he said as familiar, bright orange hair appeared in front of him. “What are you doing here this late?” Felix didn’t immediately reply. He bit his lip and averted his eyes; he looked nervous. “Are you okay?”

“I needed to talk to you,” he said, adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard. “Can I come in?”

“Of course,” Chan replied, taking a step back to let Felix enter. His stomach twisted a little and he didn’t know what to feel. “What did you want to talk about?” he asked as he closed the door behind Felix. Felix looked down at the floor, fiddling nervously with his fingers and pressed his lips together. “Felix,” Chan said, taking a step closer and Felix looked up. “What’s on your mind?”

“I haven’t been honest with you,” Felix said, arms dropping to his side. There was a look of defeat in his eyes as he looked at Chan. “And I… I can’t continue to lie to you.”

“What are you talking about?” Chan asked, looking Felix over. Felix lowered his head again, cowering in front of Chan. “What lies have you told me, Felix?” he asked, voice harsh and Felix flinched when he spoke.

“I…” Felix trailed off and although confusion as well as anger was starting to build up in Chan’s chest, he let Felix think for a moment. “I’m not the Lawkeeper’s son,” he finally said, meeting Chan’s gaze.

Chan froze as he processed what Felix had said. “You…” He pressed his lips together as his chest tightened and he closed his hands into fists. The temperature in the room was starting to drop and Felix widened his eyes.

“Chan-”

“The who are you?” Chan asked, narrowing his eyes.

“I-I’m the… I’m the nephew of the Lawkeeper but-” Chan held up a hand and Felix immediately went silent.

“Get out,” he said, taking a deep breath as he tried to get control over his emotions. Too many thoughts swirled in his head. He needed to be alone.

“Please let me explain,” Felix said as Chan reached for the door handle. He paused and turned to look at Felix. “I didn’t mean to lie to you. I just-”

“Has anything you’ve told me been true? Or has it all just been lies? What have you tried to accomplish here?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. “Has everything been a game to you?”

“What? No-”

“That’s low, Felix,” Chan hissed, the temperature in the room dropping even further. On the windows, ice began to climb and the lights in the room flickered. Chan’s chest ached. “Did you have fun? Was it fun fooling the weakest brother of the ice kingdom? Is that what you were doing?”

“No, Chan that’s not-”

“Please leave. I’m not interested in being only a piece in your game.”

“You’re not a piece in a game, Chan!” Felix protested, his eyes glossy with tears but Chan didn’t care at this point. His chest hurt. He felt betrayed and he needed time to think. “When I told you I’ve fallen in love with you, I wasn’t lying!”

“How can I trust you?” Chan asked. Felix swallowed hard, bottom lip trembling. “You lied about who you were, your own identity. How can I possibly trust you?”

“I-”

“Get out of my sight,” Chan said, turning around and away from Felix. “I need to be alone.”

“Chan, please just listen-”

“Get. Out,” Chan hissed, not turning back to face Felix. There was a pause and the only thing that could be heard in the room was Felix’s shuddering breaths. His breath was visible in the cold room and his skin was prickling.

“I’ll leave,” he finally said after a moment of silence, his voice thick with tears. His footsteps sounded softly as he walked to the door and the wooden door creaked open. “I’m sorry,” he whispered before shutting the door and leaving Chan alone with his thoughts.

As he stood there, staring at the door as ice crept up on the door handle, Hyunjung’s words rang in his mind.

_“Don’t be too quick to judge things, alright? Take a moment and maybe listen, hm?”_

  
  
  



	2. Boy of the Southwest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He wanted this moment to last just a little longer.

Chan didn’t leave his room the following day. He remained in there during breakfast, not bothering to notify someone of his absence. He knew Felix would be there and he couldn’t stomach seeing Felix right now.

He was in love with Felix. He knew he was and he would be lying if he hadn’t already thought of ways for the two of them to be together. But Felix had lied to him, and he hadn’t bothered to be forthright about it until now.

“Chan?” Jisung asked as he pushed the door open and Chan inhaled sharply. He was sitting on the windowsill, gazing out across the snowy garden. He could see Jeongin and Jungwoo below, playing in the snow. His heart ached and he turned to face Jisung. Jisung had closed the door behind him and he stood there, fiddling with his fingers. “The Empress is asking for you.”

“Tell her I’m sick,” Chan muttered and Jisung licked his lips nervously. His blue eyes flickered around the room as he took a deep breath.

“Is this because of the switch between the Lawkeeper’s son and nephew?” he asked.

Chan paused, his blood running cold.

”You knew?” Chan asked. Jisung stared back at him, eyes wide and then he nodded. He turned his gaze down and avoided Chan’s gaze. ”Who…” he began but trailed off as the realization slowly settled. ”Minho is the Lawkeeper’s son.”

Jisung bit his lip but nodded.

”When did he tell you?” Chan asked, clenching his jaw as that familiar anger and betrayal began to rise within him.

”He told me just a week after they had arrived,” Jisung admitted and it almost felt like a slap in the face.

Jisung had known for a long time but he hadn’t told Chan. Jisung had known and he had let Chan continue to believe that Felix was the Lawkeeper’s son like a fool.

That left a sour taste in his mouth and a heavy feeling in his chest.

He felt betrayed.

”I should have known,” Chan said, getting out of bed and walking over to the window. ”How could I have been so foolish to believe them?” he asked, to no one in particular.

Jisung didn’t reply.

The anger continued to rise in his chest and he clenched his jaw as he stared out the window. The sun was still low on the sky and the garden below was empty in the early morning.

”The Empress wanted the family to gather in the throne room because of this matter,” Jisung said and Chan snapped his head around to look at him. Jisung had stood up from the bed as well but he looked like he was almost cowering.

”You can tell my sister I will be there,” Chan said and he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He turned back to the window and locked his hands behind his back. ”You can leave,” he continued, his voice harsher than he had actually intended.

”But Chan-”

“Jisung,” he said, his voice harsher than he intended and Jisung flinched. ”Leave,” he ordered, not giving Jisung the chance to speak. ”I will get ready by myself.”

There was a pause and Chan almost thought that Jisung had left but then Jisung spoke up.

”As you wish, my prince,” he said, his wavering just ever so slightly. Chan turned around to face Jisung, keeping his expression blank and expressionless. Jisung studied Chan’s face for a moment before he took a deep breath, trembling as he exhaled and he looked at Chan, shoulders slumped. Then he nodded, eyes empty and he turned around to leave.

Chan clenched his jaw as he watched Jisung leave, trying to push down the feelings of guilt. The door closed behind Jisung with a soft click and Chan was left alone with the echoing silence and his own thoughts. He swallowed hard, feeling his chest tighten.

Jisung had known that Felix was lying to him. That was hard for him to stomach. But maybe he felt even worse due to the fact that he had allowed neither Felix or Jisung to explain why. He had simply shut them out without any explanation.

He gritted his teeth as he saw his own reflection in the mirror.

  
  


Chan felt bad for not attending the meeting his sister had requested his presence at. He was usually very keen on obeying Hyunjing, but he felt far too guilty and confused to go. Judging by what Hyunjung had said the same day as Felix had spoken to Chan, she knew.

Jisung knew. Hyunjung knew.

Was he the only one who didn’t know?

His stomach twisted. He had snuck out of the castle, avoiding everyone and headed to the outskirts of the garden where he could be alone. He sat by the pond there, watching the fish lazily swim around there. As he stared down into the water, he caught his own disheveled appearance. His hair was by now just a curly mess, sticking into every possible direction. He attempted to smooth it down, but to no avail.

His chest felt heavy, like his lungs were too small. He couldn’t breathe properly.

Why had Felix lied to him? And for so long?

Was it to make a fool out of Chan? It had to be. No one in their right mind would be in love with Chan, the forgotten child of the Ice Kingdom; the child that his parents would pretend they didn’t have; the weak child.

Chan held out his hand, letting his fingertips touch the cold water. The temperature dropped but nothing more. He blinked the tears out of his eyes. A touch from one of his siblings would have caused the water to freeze.

He looked up from the water, pulling his hand back to let it rest in his lap and he watched the sky. The sun was falling lower and lower in the sky, coloring the sky in various shades of pink, red and yellow.

He didn’t want to leave. He didn’t want to go back to the castle to deal with the mess that would await him.

The creaking of snow broke the silence and Chan turned around to see who it was. He had expected Jisung or another servant, maybe Jeongin or Jungwoo. He hadn’t expected to see the dark orange and red robes. For a second his heart leaped, thinking it was Felix but the hair was too dark.

It was Minho.

“Lawkeeper son,” Chan greeted, the words tasting sour on his tongue. He spared Minho a short glance before looking back at the pond. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” he asked, trying to keep the facade but his voice wavered just the slightest. He swallowed hard.

Minho remained frozen in place for a moment, looking down at his hands as he fiddled with the hem of his shirt.

“I’m sorry,” he finally said.

Chan raised an eyebrow.

“May I?” Minho asked, gesturing to where Chan was sitting. Chan only nodded, his jaw tense and he watched as Minho moved to sit down beside him. There was a moment of silence, the tension in the air so heavy it felt like Chan couldn’t breathe. “I’m sorry.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry,” Minho repeated, staring down into the pond. “I’m so sorry for everything, Prince Chan.” He took a deep breath. “We thought we were just being cautious and we just wanted to know the truth. We didn’t want to eventually be fooled and I… I suggested that maybe I should be the one posing as a servant.”

“You…” Chan’s mouth fell dry. “Why?”

“We didn’t know what to think about the Ice Kingdom. We haven’t been in contact with the Ice Kingdom for a very long time and…” He trailed off, running a hand through his hair. “It sounds bad, but we didn’t know what to do of the rumors.”

“Ah.”

“And I suggested that maybe I could pose as a servant, to get to know your staff… My mother didn’t exactly like that, as she thought it would be a very bad situation should we be found out.”

“Yeah,” Chan said, jaws clenched.

“We spoke to the Ice Empress… Hyunjung and she approved of the idea.”

Chan took a deep breath.

Minho stared into the pond, thinking for a moment before he looked up at Chan. “Felix didn’t have anything to do with this idea. He only accepted the switch and tried his best, that’s all. I told him it would be for the best so please…” He licked his lips. “Please don’t blame Felix.”

The wind that blew past them kicked up some snow. Chan only stared blankly at Minho as he processed what had just been said. Minho nodded, mostly to himself and he stood up.

“I’m really sorry that things turned out this way, and I don’t blame you for being angry with us,” Minho began. “But know that Felix never lies about his emotions.”

“Just leave,” Chan said, his chest feeling uncomfortably tight. Minho nodded again and turned around.

Chan stared down at his own reflection, feeling the anger starting to bubble up again.

“You really messed up,” he told himself.

  
  


The castle was empty and quiet, almost uncharacteristically so as Chan walked down the halls. He had been outside for way too long and while his body temperature was naturally lower than others, he still felt cold. It had taken him time, but he had finally gathered the courage to face Felix.

He needed to speak to Felix again.

The knock on the door echoed in his ears and Chan held his breath as he waited for Felix to open. At least he hoped that Felix would open the door for him. His heart was beating fast, racing and threatening to burst through his ribcage.

“Ye-” Felix began as he opened the door but halted as he met Chan’s gaze. “Chan,” he said, his voice soft and Chan wanted to cry.

“Felix,” Chan whispered, eyes flickering around the hallway. “Can I come in? I-I need to talk to you.”

Felix didn’t say anything, he just took a step back and let Chan into the room. Chan closed the door behind him, the sound echoing in his ears and he swallowed hard, glancing around the room. His heart sank as he realized that most of Felix’s things were being packed back down into boxes and bags.

“Are you leaving?” he asked.

“We are,” Felix said, shoulders slumping as he looked around the table. He turned to Chan, eyes sad. “We’re leaving tomorrow.”

Chan’s heart sank and his stomach twisted. There hadn’t been talks about the Fire Tribe leaving. He knew the day would have come sooner or later, but there had not been a decided date. Until now.

“My-” Felix licked his lips, averting his gaze. “My aunt decided that we should not overstay our welcome. The Empress spoke to the rest of the royal family and explained everything… But my aunt still felt like we should return back home.” He paused, glancing up at Chan. There was something so sad in his eyes and Chan wanted nothing but to make the sad disappear. He was the one who had caused this sadness. “I’m sorry,” Felix finally said.

“I- What?” Chan furrowed his brows. “Felix- What are you sorry about? I should be the one to apologize. I was the one who overreacted.” He swallowed hard. “Felix, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t- I didn’t-” He ran a hand through his hair, a heavy sigh falling from his lips. “I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

There was a moment of silence and the two of them just stood there, looking at each other. Chan’s chest felt tight, like he couldn’t breathe properly.

“I should have told you earlier,” Felix mumbled, looking down at his fingers as he tugged nervously at the hem of his shirt. He bit his lip before turning to look right into Chan’s ice blue eyes. There was a sudden intensity in his red eyes, like embers glowing in the dark. “But I… I never lied about anything else. I truly fell in love with you Chan.”

“I love you,” Chan whispered, wanting nothing but to reach out for Felix. “I should have listened to you, but instead I acted like an absolute idiot.”

Felix’s serious, almost sad expression shifted as a small smile stretched on his lips.

“You’re not an absolute idiot,” he said as he took a step towards Chan. Chan’s heart squeezed painfully in his chest, his fingers twitching and he bit his tongue. Felix cradled Chan’s face in his hands, studying Chan’s every feature. “You’re a bit stupid, but not that stupid.”

“Speak the truth,” Chan said softly, his hands finding Felix’s waist. He let them rest there, not daring to pull Felix any close. He wanted to kiss Felix, but at this very moment he didn’t dare to do anything in fear of overstepping. “I was unfair to you.”

“I think I would have been angry too,” Felix said. “I don’t blame you for being angry with me, but I want you to know that it was never my intention to lie to you. But I… It felt like I didn’t have a choice when my aunt and cousin asked me.”

“I spoke to your cousin.”

“You did?”

“He explained why and I… I guess it all makes sense,” Chan said, averting his gaze for a second. “I’m so sorry Felix.”

“Shh,” Felix said, the smile still on his lips but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I accept your apology, Prince of the Northeast,” he continued, brushing his thumb over Chan’s cheekbone. “We do not have much time, so better not use it to repeat the same words over and over again.” He leaned in to press a quick kiss on Chan’s lips.

“You’ll leave tomorrow,” Chan said, the words making his heart weight heavy in his chest.

“I would have had to leave at a certain point,” Felix whispered, leaning closer to Chan.

Chan could feel the warmth radiating from Felix. Despite Chan having a lower body temperature, Felix’s warmth never made him uncomfortable like warm weather tended to do. It made him feel safe and secure. The warmth that came from Felix made Chan feel at home.

“I love you,” Chan said, his lips trembling as he spoke. His throat was closing up and his chest was tight. He didn’t want Felix to leave.

“I love you too,” Felix said, voice wavering and he took a shuddering breath. His hands fumbled at the front of Chan’s jacket a little.

Chan swallowed hard, leaning in to kiss Felix again.

“Please,” Felix whispered as Chan’s trembling lips moved to his neck. He tightened his grip on Chan's jacket as Chan’s hands found the hem of Felix’s shirt. “Please… I- Make this a night I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” he continued, letting out a gasp as Chan’s teeth grazed his skin. “I never want to forget you.”

  
  


Chan didn’t know what to say. He felt guilty for his rash behavior and the consequences that had come with it. The Fire Tribe was leaving the Northeast and their sudden departure was because of them. He didn’t know what he should be feeling. The thought of not seeing Felix was settling in. They had spoken, had promised to meet again but Chan wasn’t sure how that would happen.

His sister had given him a scolding in the morning, both for his behavior and his inability to show up when she requested his presence. But she had been kind about it, as she always was, and she had spoken to him in that soft tone she used when he was upset.

He clenched his jaw as he stood at the front of the castle, watching the Fire Tribe get their carriages ready to leave. As he stood there, his back straight and eyes fixed on Felix as he discussed something with Minho, he could feel Jeongin stare at him.

There was some movement beside him and Chan turned to see Jeongin squeeze himself in between Chan and Jungwoo.

“You’re an idiot,” he said before Chan could even open his mouth.

“I know,” Chan mumbled, turning back to look at Felix. His stomach churned and his heart hurt in his chest.

“How are you going to fix it?”

“I don’t know.”

“Better figure out how to fix it,” Jeongin grumbled, giving Chan a gentle shove. “I really like Felix.”

The ‘I do too’ lingered on Chan’s lips but before he could speak them, the Lawkeeper walked up to them.

“Lawkeeper,” Hyunjung said, the smile on her lips a bit stiff and apologetic. “It’s been a pleasure having you here.”

“Thank you for having us, Ice Empress,” the Lawkeeper said, taking a deep breath as her eyes wandered over the royal family. “Whatever ruckus we caused, please accept my apologies.”

Hyunjung shook her head. “Do not worry. I was the one who suggested this, so I shall take the blame for this.”

“You’re too kind,” the Lawkeeper said and she took a step back. “Still does not change the fact that I feel apologetic about it.” She brushed some of her curly red hair away from her face and smiled again. “I’ll make sure to stay in contact with you.”

“Much appreciated,” Hyunjung said with a small nod. “We shall stay in contact as well.”

“Good,” the Lawkeeper smiled, glancing over her shoulder to the carriages. “Accept my gratitude for hosting us. Should you ever need something from the south, know that you can always reach out to us.”

“Thank you, Lawkeeper.”

“Goodbye, Ice Empress.” The Lawkeeper let her eyes wander over the rest of the siblings, her eyes lingering on Chan for a bit longer and Chan squirmed a little where he stood, avoiding her gaze. “Goodbye, Ice Princes.”

“Goodbye Lawkeeper,” Chan said, watching as the Lawkeeper turned back to return to the carriages.

His chest tightened as he watched the Fire Tribe, his eyes eventually finding Felix again. Felix had paused what he was doing and he was looking in Chan’s direction. He stood there, so far away and Chan wanted nothing but to run up to him, to apologize for being the biggest idiot in all the lands. But he couldn’t move. All he could do was to watch was Felix turned away from him.

He watched as Felix got into one of the carriages, and soon enough, the carriages left the Ice Castle.

Chan felt like his heart shattered in a million pieces.

  
  
  
  
  
  


He wanted nothing but to be alone. He had refused to head down for dinner, instead locking the door to his room. He knew it was childish and he had no one to blame but himself.

As the night went on, as the candles became shorter and shorter, he kept pacing back and forth, trying to figure out what to do next.

A gentle knock sounded on his door, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“I wish to be alone,” he replied, his voice coming out much harsher than he had intended.

“Chan,” came Jisung’s voice from the other side. It wasn’t often Jisung called him by his name, but both that and the presence of Jisung made Chan pause his pacing and he looked towards the door.

Chan’s throat felt tight as he walked over to the door, unlocking it and opening it.

“Come in,” he whispered. He didn’t dare to look at Jisung as Jisung entered. He took a deep breath. “Jisung,” he began, looking up to face Jisung. “I’m sorry.”

“I-”

“I’m truly sorry. I should not have gotten so angry. Not with you nor with Felix.” He swallowed, shoulders slumping. “I really messed up.”

“I should have been honest with you,” Jisung said with a low voice, chewing on his bottom lip. “I just didn’t know what to do when Minho told me. He told me that Hyunjung would explain everything to you and he assured me that things would be alright.”

“I overreacted,” Chan said, swallowing hard. “I’m so sorry I got upset with you, Jisung. I shouldn’t have.”

“Maybe a little but…” Jisung trailed off, fiddling with his fingers. “There’s not much to do about that now. And I… I understand why you got upset with me.”

“I still shouldn’t have,” Chan insisted. “You’re… You’re not my personal servant Jisung. You’re my friend and in that moment I treated you unfairly. I’m so sorry I’ve never been speaking for you and I’m so sorry that you’ve been forced to stay here.”

“Chan,” Jisung said softly. “You personally are not the reason why I’m here and… Honestly, what could you have done? You’re the middle prince, and you haven’t exactly had a lot of power to have a say in traditions and what not. Please stop blaming yourself for me being here. I know it’s not ideal and sure, I would have loved to grow up in my own kingdom but…” Jisung trailed off, a sad smile on his lips. “You made it bearable for me to stay here. You’re my friend too. My best friend, in fact.”

Chan felt his throat close up and he nodded, lips pressed together.

“Did you speak to Felix? Before they left?”

“I did,” Chan whispered, fearing his voice would crack should he speak louder. “I had to apologize to him… Did you speak to Minho?”

“I did. He… He asked me to come with him to the Southwest. Not because he thinks I’m treated poorly here but…”

“He wanted to spend more time with you.”

Jisung nodded, averting his gaze and nervously tugged at his fingers. “What are you going to do now?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” Chan mumbled, his voice still low and he ran a hand through his hair. He swallowed hard, trying to force the lump in his throat down. “Can I get a hug?”

Jisung blinked, taken aback by the request. “Yes, yes of course,” he said, approaching Chan to wrap him in a hug.

“I’m so stupid,” Chan mumbled into Jisung’s shoulder. “I’m so, so stupid.”

“Not that stupid,” Jisung said comforting, rubbing Chan’s back. “Just a bit stupid.”

Chan laughed, his chest feeling just a bit lighter. “Thank you, Jisung.” He took a deep breath. “Thank you for being my friend.”

“Anytime, Chan,” Jisung said, and Chan couldn’t help the smile that stretched on his lips. “Anytime.”

  
  


“You cannot sulk like this forever,” Jeongin said as he sat down in front of Chan, snapping Chan out of his thoughts. Chan looked away from the icy garden below the library window and turned to Jeongin. “You’ve been like this for weeks.”

“I’m not sulking,” Chan insisted, closing the book in front of him. Jeongin’s eyes flickered down to the book, then back up to Chan and he raised an eyebrow. “It’s Felix’s favorite book,” Chan mumbled, averting his gaze.

“You need to figure out how to solve this,” Jeongin said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Solve what?”

Jeongin gestured to Chan. “You’re sulking like a child. I want my happy and serious brother back! You barely spend time with us, you don’t talk during dinners and you don’t respond to mine and Jungwoo’s teasing!”

“I just… I have a lot to think about.”

“I know,” Jeongin said, his voice growing serious. His shoulders slumped. “I want you to be happy again.”

Chan took a moment to look Jeongin over. At this very moment it almost felt like Jeongin was the older brother and Chan the younger. Chan lowered his head.

“Hyunjung is asking for you,” Jeongin continued and Chan’s head snapped up, eyes wide. “She needed to speak to you about something.”

Chan furrowed his brows and Jeongin snorted.

“Did she say what it was about?”

“No,” Jeongin replied, way too quickly and Chan narrowed his eyes. He knew Jeongin was lying. “No for real, I have no idea,” Jeongin defended.

“Sure, sure,” Chan said, taking a deep breath as he leaned back in his chair. “I’m not getting executed, am I?” he asked, running a hand through his hair.

Jeongin snorted so hard Chan couldn’t help but smile. “God no,” he said, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. “That’s just ridiculous, brother.”

“I have to make sure,” Chan said. Jeongin raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t really make the wisest decisions during the past few weeks, what do I know?”

“True,” Jeongin said with a shrug.

“You’re not making it better.”

“Sorry,” he said, smiling widely. “I promise it’s nothing bad. Maybe it’s… maybe it’s something good,” he continued, something almost sad gleaming in his eyes for just the briefest of moments. Chan frowned. “You should go and find Hyunjung. She’s patient, but I don’t know how patient.”

Chan nodded and stood up, tucking the book under his arm. Jeongin remained seated, just following Chan with his gaze.

“Wish me luck,” Chan said and Jeongin laughed, leaning back in the chair.

“Good luck, brother,” he said, a wide smile stretching on his lips and it helped Chan feel at ease. “You’ll be fine.”

  
  
  
  


Chan didn’t feel like he would be fine.

He was standing there in front of Hyunjung’s door, his hand raised to knock on the wood but he suddenly felt very nervous. He took a deep breath, braced himself and knocked on his older sister’s door. The knocks echoed in his ears and he held his breath as he waited for Hyunjung to open.

On the other side of the door, the soft footsteps of his sister could be heard and soon the door was opened. Since her coronation Chan had not seen her out of her very regal, empress attire, but right now she was very dressed down. She was only wearing a simple white dress with a white lace robe on top, wrapped around her snugly. She didn’t wear any accessories or makeup. She just looked very ordinary and much like how Chan remembered her from his childhood.

“Brother,” she greeted with a soft smile and she took a step to the side. “Come in.”

Chan nodded, licking his dry lips as he entered the room. He let his eyes scan the room, his gaze quickly settling on the two armchairs and the cups of tea standing on the small table.

“Sit down,” Hyunjung instructed as she sat down in one of the pale blue armchairs. “We have some matters to discuss.”

“I- We do?” Chan asked as he sat down, the nervousness returning to him. He hung with his head, not daring to look up at her.

“You’ve been sulking.”

“Oh.”

“Ever since the Fire Tribes left.”

“I- Yes.” Chan took a deep breath. There was no use in lying to Hyunjung. “I miss Felix and I-I don’t know what to do,” he whispered, glancing up at her.

Hyunjung nodded, her hands resting in her lap. She was quiet as she thought for a moment. “I’m thinking of sending you to the Fire Tribes.”

“What?”

“The Fire Tribes were invited here as an attempt to re-establish contact and despite…” She trailed off, rubbing her temples and Chan looked down in shame again. “Despite everything, we did get re-established contact with them.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No need to continue to apologize, brother,” she said, waving her hand dismissively. “We’ve re-established contact, but now we need to keep it. I want to send you to the Fire Tribes as an ambassador.”

“You want to what now?” Chan asked.

“I want you to represent the Ice Kingdom down in the Southwest.”

“I- But- Why?”

“I need someone there,” Hyunjung said with a casual shrug. “And you’re busy missing the Cleric’s son. So I don’t see why I cannot send you there.” She paused and looked Chan over. “Do you want to go?”

“Yes!” Chan replied, almost a bit too quickly.

Hyunjung laughed, tucking some of her blonde hair behind her ear. “Then it’s decided.”

  
  


Jisung was sitting on the other side of the carriage, his eyes fixed on the nature around them. Chan looked away from Jisung and looked out as well. They had been traveling for weeks, most of the time spent quietly chatting or reading but they had passed through the Water Kingdom and were now reaching the end of the Earth Tribes territories. The change in climate and surroundings was something Chan had never seen in his life and he was so fascinated by all of it. Lush forests and dark green fields were becoming endless fields of yellow, bare mountains and red soil.

Chan took his eyes off the nature and turned back to look at Jisung. Despite the blank expression on his face, there was something in his eyes. His eyes kept flickering back and forth as he tugged at the hem of his blue shirt.

“Are you nervous?” Chan asked, breaking the silence between him and Jisung. Jisung startled in surprise, eyes wide as he looked at Chan. “You look nervous.”

“I don’t… I don’t know, I was just thinking,” Jisung said, brushing his blue hair away from his forehead. Chan tilted his head, waiting for Jisung to continue. Jisung’s eyes flickered out the window again and back to Chan. “I was thinking about home, and what is to come.”

Home. The Water Kingdom.

They had passed by the Water Kingdom and by Jisung’s request, they had not stopped by.

“I’m nothing but a servant now,” he had said and it had broken Chan’s heart. Before Chan had been able to say anything, Jisung had smiled a genuine smile and continued. “I’m not unhappy with where I am in life. I know I’m no longer a servant to you.”

Chan snapped out of the memory and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Jisung.”

“No, stop that,” Jisung said with a grin on his lips and he shook his head. “You told me you would stop apologizing for things out of your control.”

“Still.”

Jisung shook his head again. “I don’t feel the need to go to the Water Kingdom, at least not right now. Maybe I’ll change my mind later, but…” He smiled. “The tradition is broken and I’m free so to speak. I’m following you because I want to, not because I have to.”

Chan looked down at his hands. Right before they left, Hyunjung had promised that she would break the deal between the Ice and Water Kingdoms and set up another peace deal. Jisung was freed from his duties but when asked, he had insisted on going with Chan.

“Are you nervous?” Jisung asked, snapping Chan out of his thoughts.

Chan blinked, processing the question. He licked his dry lips and nodded. “Yes,” he admitted, the nervousness bubbling in his chest and swirling in his stomach. “I think I am.”

“I’m a bit nervous too,” Jisung mumbled, tugging at the hem of his shirt again.

“It’s been a while since they left,” Chan said and Jisung hummed. “I’m just… I don’t know what to expect.”

“Me neither,” Jisung said, chuckling. “The Water Kingdom didn’t have the best relationship with the Fire Tribes when I was still living at home. I was pleasantly surprised when they visited the Ice Kingdom. But now… Now I’m nervous.”

Chan nodded, not knowing what to say. He turned to look out the window again, watching the dry lands around them and through the slight opening he could feel the warm air hit his face.

He just hoped he and Jisung would feel at home here too.

  
  
  
  


Chan’s breath hitched when the carriage slowed down and he immediately straightened his back, peering out of the window with his heart hammering in his chest. They had arrived. He turned to look at Jisung who looked like he was about to burst.

“We’ll be fine,” Chan said, words more aimed at himself than Jisung. “Surely things are… somewhat like they used to be,” he mumbled.

Jisung only nodded and Chan held his breath when the carriage came to a halt. He swallowed hard and gathered all the courage in him, reaching for the handle of the door. He pushed it down and opened the door, a wave of hot air hitting his face.

His first reaction was to pull back, surprised by the dryness in the air, but then he peered outside the carriage. He wasn’t sure what he had expected; maybe some big event as the Fire Tribes had received when they arrived in the Ice Kingdom. The possibility of a big event upon arrival had made him a bit nervous, as he wasn’t one for big occasions. But as he glanced outside, his heart felt at ease.

The Lawkeeper stood there, her hair as bright as ever and her eyes gleaming as the sun began to set. Beside her was another woman, a bit shorter and her hair more orange than red, but still as curly and wild. They had the same face shape, the same nose and the same eyes. Behind them were Minho, standing on the Lawkeeper’s side and-

Chan’s heart skipped a beat.

Felix stood beside the other woman, his lips pressed together and hands behind his back. In that moment, it felt like only Felix and Chan existed. Everything around them faded and Chan wanted nothing but to run to Felix. But he shook his head, snapping out of his daze and he swallowed hard, stepping out of the carriage.

“Chan of the Ice Kingdom, Jisung of the Water Kingdom,” the Lawkeeper said with a wide smile on her face and she clasped her hands together. “Welcome.”

“Thank you,” Jisung and Chan said at the same time, both bowing their heads as they stepped outside. Chan glanced around.

They were standing at the edge of the village, the village being located along the edge of a thick forest with dry fields stretching in every other direction. During the trip here, Chan had gotten the impression that the villages of the Fire Tribes were all very sparsely placed and that was only confirmed further as he could not see any other village, nor had they passed anything by during the last part of the journey.

“I hope the trip here was pleasant,” the Lawkeeper said as Jisung and Chan approached them. “It’s a long one and I understand if you two want some rest.” Chan nodded. “This is my sister, our Cleric,” the Lawkeeper continued, gesturing to the woman beside her.

“Pleasant to make your acquaintance,” Chan said, giving the Cleric a nod. He had a difficult time to keep his eyes on her and not wander over to Felix.

“We’re having a small celebration later this evening as a form of welcome to you,” the Lawkeeper continued and Chan turned to her. “Nothing big and nothing like you’d expect from one of the Kingdoms, but we’d like to greet you with our own customs.”

“That sounds great,” Chan said and Jisung nodded in agreement.

“You’ll have some time to settle in before dinner and the celebration,” the Lawkeeper said, glancing between Minho and Felix. “I put Minho and Felix in charge of bringing you to your new lodgings, would that be alright with you?”

“Of course!” Jisung replied before Chan could even open his mouth. “Sorry,” he immediately said, his ears becoming red and he lowered his head. Chan didn’t miss the fond, amused smile on Minho’s lips.

“No need to apologize, my dear Jisung,” the Lawkeeper said with an easy smile on her lips. “Minho and Felix, would you be so kind and bring our guest to their respective lodgings?”

“Of course,” Felix said, the smile on his lips growing wider and his eyes never leaving Chan. Chan’s breath hitched when Felix took a step forward and grabbed Chan’s hand. His skin was so pleasantly warm against Chan’s and Chan’s heart was starting to pick up speed in his chest. “This way,” he said, his voice lower this time as he began to drag Chan away and further into the village.

  
  
  
  
  
  


The houses in the village were small and close together. There were people everywhere, most of them with the same markings as Felix’s, except for the rune on the forehead which seemed to vary. The walk to the house wasn’t too long and during the walk, neither of them spoke. Felix kept glancing back at Chan every now and then and Chan’s heart stuttered in his chest every time. Chan tightened his grip of Felix’s hand, taking a deep breath.

After walking for a while, Felix began to slow down and they came to a halt in front of a very small house, seemingly located somewhere in the middle of the village.

“I promise I’ll show you around the whole village later,” Felix said, offering Chan a wide smile. “Come,” he continued, pulling Chan inside.

The house was small on the inside, only one floor and one big room. The kitchen was in one corner, a dining table in another corner and behind a curtain, Chan could see a rather big mattress on the floor. The color scheme was just the same as Felix’s. Warm browns, oranges, yellows and red.

What struck him was the fact that the house seemed lived in. He hadn’t expected to live in the luxury that he had had back in the Ice Kingdom, Hyunjung had made sure to inform him of that and he didn’t mind, but it seemed like he would have to share his space.

“I…” Felix began, licking his lips nervously as he pulled his hand back. He grabbed onto the hem of his shirt and tugged nervously, eyes darting around the room. “I was the one who suggested it and uhm, we can… we can change things if you don’t want to but-” He took a deep breath. “I thought you could stay with me?”

Chan’s heart fluttered and he struggled to find the right words.

“You don’t have to!” Felix added quickly, raising his hands. His eyes were wide as he looked at Chan. “If it’s too much we can arrange something else for you! I don’t want you to feel like you have to stay he-”

“Felix,” Chan said softly, cutting Felix off. Felix pressed his lips together, his eyes still wide as he studied Chan’s face. “I’d love to stay with you. If you want me to stay here, I’d love to.”

“O-of course I want you here!” Felix exclaimed, his words warming Chan’s heart. Felix took a deep breath and stepped closer to Chan. As he raised his hands to cradle Chan’s face, Chan could see the slight tremble in his fingers. “I missed you,” Felix breathed as he brushed his thumb over Chan’s cold skin.

“And I missed you,” Chan replied, his hands fumbling for a moment before he found Felix’s waist. He tugged him closer, his heart now racing and stuttering in his chest. His throat tightened and he swallowed hard. “I missed you so much Felix I-”

He didn’t finish before Felix pressed their lips together. Chan found himself melting against Felix’s warm lips. He pulled Felix even closer, their chests pressed together and he never wanted to let go.

“Heavens I thought I’d never see you again,” Felix said, a slight tremble making its way into his voice.

“I wanted nothing but to be with you,” Chan whispered, his breathing heavy as they pulled back. He studied Felix’s face, brushing the back of his fingers over Felix’s cheek as he did. “I’m-” A sob bubbled up in his chest and he blinked, a tear rolling down his cheek.

“Don’t cry,” Felix whispered, wiping the tear away from Chan’s face. “Please don’t cry. It makes my heart hurt.”

“I can’t help it,” Chan hiccuped, meeting Felix’s gaze and he could see the tears gathering in Felix’s red eyes. He laughed between sobs. “Don’t cry!”

“You’re making me cry!” Felix argued back but there was no bite in his words. He kissed Chan again, bringing back the familiar warm and fuzzy feeling. “Are you sure it’s alright to stay here?”

Chan hummed, nodding his head. “More than alright,” he replied, his voice still a bit shaky.

“Alright then,” Felix said, a small smile tugging on his lips. “Your things will be brought here in a bit then.” He paused, studying Chan’s face. “Do you want the tour of the village now or later?”

“Later,” Chan said, sniffling a bit. “I want to be with you for now.” Felix grinned and Chan poked his ribs, causing him to squeak in surprise. “Don’t look so smug,” he said, playfully rolling his eyes.

“Your eyes are going to be so puffy at the celebrations tonight,” Felix said, drying more tears off Chan’s cheeks.

“Oh no, you’re right,” Chan said, pulling his hand back to rub his eye.

“You’re making it worse,” Felix said softly, grabbing onto Chan’s wrist to pull his hand away from his eye. Chan pouted and Felix snorted, shaking his head. “I love you, Prince Chan of the Ice Kingdom,” he said, eyes softening.

Chan’s heart stuttered in his chest and his breath hitched.

“And I love you, Felix of the Fire Tribes,” he whispered, taking Felix’s face in his hands. “I love you with all my heart.”

  
  


If Chan’s eyes had been puffy during the celebrations, the people around him had been kind enough to not mention it. He had caught a glimpse of Jisung during the dinner but it seemed like both Jisung and the son of the Lawkeeper had vanished as soon as the dinner was over. They probably wanted to spend some time together, and Chan didn't blame them. Not the slightest.  


The dinner and small celebration was pleasant and Chan didn’t feel the slightest uncomfortable. He had expected some tension and maybe even some dissatisfaction with his presence, but so far he felt nothing but welcomed and that lifted a weight from his shoulders.

His heart was fluttering in his chest as Felix tugged him away from the bonfire. Trying to sneak off as one of the princes from the Ice Kingdom had proven quite difficult as people kept wanting to chat with him. During their attempt to leave, they had had to pause a few times so Chan could speak to whatever elder approached them, but at last they had managed to leave the celebrations.

Felix led him through sparse forest, the grass rustling under his bare feet as they walked and as much as Chan wanted to look around he simply couldn’t. He kept his eyes locked at Felix, heart squeezing when Felix stopped and turned around.

The moon was the only source of light, the pale light illuminating Felix’s hair and outlining his silhouette. In the dim light, his eyes were glowing like embers and Chan reached out a hand to brush his fingers over his cheek. There was a pause as Felix’s eyes just studied Chan before he grabbed a hold of the collar of Chan’s white shirt. He pulled him closer, pressing their lips together.

Chan smiled into the kiss, his heart doing a little backflip as he kissed Felix back. Felix’s lips were so warm and Chan melted against him as he let go of his collar, hands cradling Chan’s face instead. Chan moved his hand to Felix’s waist, his cold fingers brushing over Felix’s bare midsection before settling on his hip.

“This is new,” Chan said as they parted and he reached up with his free hand to brush it over the rune on Felix’s forehead.

It was similar to the one that had adorned his forehead before; the vertical line with the rhombus at the bottom and a single diagonal line at the top. But instead of one diagonal line, the new rune had two diagonal lines at the top. Chan let his eyes linger over it before he looked down to meet Felix’s gaze. Felix’s eyes were soft, the ember seemingly sparking in them. Chan moved his hand down to Felix’s cheek, brushing his thumb over Felix’s cheekbone and the dried paint.

“The other rune meant Youth,” Felix explained, voice just a hushed whisper. Chan hummed, leaning his forehead against Felix’s. “The new one…” he trailed off and despite the dim light, Chan could still see the shy expression on his face as he averted his eyes.

“You look shy,” Chan commented and Felix snapped his eyes back at him.

“I’m… a bit, maybe,” he admitted after a while and Chan could feel his skin grow warmer under his hand. “It means… love,” he finally said and Chan blinked, processing what Felix had just said.

“Love?”

Felix nodded, biting his lip as he averted his eyes a little. “It’s to… you know,” trailed off, still biting his lip as a smile stretched on his lips. “It’s just as a symbol that I’m… in a partnership with someone.”

“Oh,” Chan said, lips slightly parted as he looked at Felix. His stomach swooped, his heart stuttering and a wave of happiness washed over him. The fact that Felix felt comfortable showing this to the rest of his tribe meant a lot to Chan. “Is this common in the Fire Tribes?” he asked, brushing his nose against Felix’s.

“For some,” Felix mumbled, pressing a short kiss on Chan’s lips. “I’m the son to one of our leaders,” he paused, “so it’s just very important that I signal the tribe when I’m unavailable.”

“I see.”

“And I-I love you. Maybe it was stupid to change my rune before you got here and all, maybe we should have talked about it but I love you so much I-” He laced his fingers together with Chan’s and held on tightly, as if he was afraid Chan would disappear. “I just want to scream it to the whole world.” He laughed at the thought. “Maybe that’s a bit indecent.”

“Maybe,” Chan said with a wide smile, his heart threatening to burst through his ribcage.

“So a rune will do. For now,” Felix said. He glanced around and Chan followed suit. The forest around them were quiet, the pale moonlight bathing the ground in silver. Felix’s smile widened, the glowing ember in his eyes seeming to brighten and he grabbed Chan’s hand. “Come.”

Chan didn’t protest as Felix pulled him towards the forest.

“There’s a small lake this way,” he explained as they walked. “Not too far away from here. It’s beautiful when the moon is out like this.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Chan said, his heart swelling in his chest when Felix laughed.

They made their way through the forest and Chan felt thankful that he was wearing shoes as the terrain continued to shift and change under their feet. But Felix didn’t seem bothered by his lack of shoes.

The forest was becoming denser ahead of them, but before it could, Felix turned to the left and continued through sparse and small trees. Chan glanced back towards where they had come but he could not see more than the faint bit of orange light from the village.

He wasn’t sure for how long they had walked but soon the already sparse trees opened up and showcased a small lake. Chan let his eyes wander the scene. The lake was not perfectly round but close and the trees around it were placed out sparsely but close to the lake. Because of the lack of tree tops, the sky opened above them. Chan turned to the sky for a moment. The sky wasn’t pitch black and not all the constellations were visible, but the moon was out. He let out a small breath in awe. It was beautiful. A warm breeze brushed through the forest and he turned back to the water to see it move gently, its surface reflecting the silver moon.

“Do you like to swim?” Felix asked as they stood there.

“I- I don’t-” Chan stuttered, struggling to find his words. “I never learned how to swim,” he mumbled, looking down at his feet. “It’s not something we needed…”

“That’s okay,” Felix said, bringing Chan’s hand up to his lips to press a soft kiss on his fingers. “I’ll teach you how to swim another day.” He looked out towards the silver water. “Do you want to dip your feet?”

Chan looked between the water and his feet. “I’d love to,” he said, letting go of Felix’s hand to untie his shoes.

Felix was smiling brightly as Chan stood up and he took Chan’s hand again, tugging him towards the water.

The water was warm for a split second before the temperature around Chan dropped. As they stood still in the shallow part of the lake, Chan could have sworn that a thin layer of ice began to form on the surface. He looked over towards Felix and the thin sheet of ice began to melt again.

“Do you dare to go a bit further?” Felix asked, glancing at Chan with a gleam in his eyes.

“As long as you don’t push me in,” Chan said and Felix laughed, pressing a quick kiss on Chan’s cheek.

“I’d never do such a thing,” he replied, giving Chan’s hand a squeeze as they walked deeper into the water.

They stopped when the water reached up to their knees. His pants, despite being shorter than the ones he usually wore, were becoming wet but Chan didn’t mind.

“This is nice,” he whispered and Felix hummed.

Chan stared at the stars above them and the giant moon that soaked the clearing in silver. He turned to look at Felix, his breath hitching. Felix’s eyes were gleaming like they always did, but this was the first time Chan had noticed that the freckles on his face also gave off a soft, gentle glow.

“Do you like it?” Felix asked, letting go of Chan’s hand as he moved closer and he wrapped his arms around Chan’s waist. Chan just stared at Felix’s face for a moment, adoration causing his heart to swell in his chest.

“I love it,” he breathed and the smile on Felix’s face widened. “Can we stay for a little longer?”

There was something that felt so calm and peaceful with the situation and he just wanted to stay like this. Just for a little longer.

“Of course we can,” Felix whispered, his grip of Chan’s waist tightening a bit and he leaned closer to kiss Chan.

Chan wanted this moment to last forever.

  
  
  


After their tour of the village Felix had pulled Chan with him and they had begun to make their way into the forest. They walked in comfortable silence, occasionally broken by Felix as he explained different things to Chan. His hand was so warm as he held onto Chan.

“The magic here is different,” Chan noted absentmindedly as they walked. “It’s so deeply rooted into everything.”

“It is,” Felix agreed, his grip of Chan’s hand tightening. “The Kingdoms in the north are quite different from the Tribes,” he mused and Chan hummed. “Maybe that’s because the land itself is younger in the north?”

“That must be it,” Chan said, looking around the forest. “Because the land itself is so young, we don’t have a lot of old stories. But I… I read that both the Fire Tribes and the Earth Tribes have stories from the old world?”

“We do,” Felix said with a nod. “It’s said that when they were still the furthest most north point of the world, the Earth Tribes were the home to a rift between worlds. It’s said that beings from an evil and corrupted world made it out to destroy our world.”

“Ah,” Chan said, nodding his head as he tried to recall what he had read about it. They didn’t have a lot of books on either of the tribes but he had read a brief mention of this. “There was a name for… for that right? Or at least the place where the rift was?” He laughed, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand. “I’m trying to remember the name. I know I read it years back but I cannot remember it.”

“The Underwoods were the name of the forest where the rift should have been,” Felix said. “I think it was called Nu ëryn in the old language.”

Chan nodded, brows furrowed as he thought about it. “What about the Fire Tribes? Do you have any interesting stories?”

“We do!” Felix said, a wide smile on his lips. “Although most of it has sunken into the sea when the New World in the north was created, we still have about half of the Blessed Fields intact. It’s a few days traveling West from where our village is, but you can easily reach it.”

“I was under the impression that the Blessed Fields had vanished completely, but I was wrong I guess.”

“Yeah only half of it was swallowed by water, along with the Silver Hills with the ruins of the Sky Castle as well as the fallen temple of Mother Earth.”

“Wait so Mother Earth had her temple in what then became the Fire Tribes?” Chan asked and Felix nodded. “I must say that, despite fire being a part of nature, it’s a bit amusing.”

“It is,” Felix said with a wide smile. “There was a place called the Fire Ridge too that held a temple to another nature goddess.”

“You’re awfully well-red on this,” Chan said, brushing his thumb over Felix’s hand.

Felix shrugged, smile on his lips. “As the son of the Cleric I should be well-read on this.”

“That makes sense,” Chan said, nodding his head.

They walked for a bit more, silent and simply listening to the forest around them. There were a few rustles here and there from animals as they moved and the chirping of birds was a constant sound in the background. The forest was becoming denser compared to the outskirts close to the village and Chan was expecting it to get even denser but instead it opened into a wide, fairly large clearing.

“Here,” Felix said softly, tugging Chan towards the edge of the clearing.

It didn’t seem like the clearing was that special from the ones they had passed before, but then Chan laid his eyes upon the two trees and he had to pause. Chan had seen large trees before, but this oak and this cedar were something else. They looked old and worn with time, but still strong and alive. Chan just stared at the two trees as Felix led him towards the base of them.

“There’s a lot of stories about this forest,” Felix said as he sat down among the big roots of the trees. They were so big that they pushed out of the earth, the root itself being the size of a normal tree. “We hold our… our weddings, I guess, here,” Felix explained, brushing his fingers absentmindedly over the roots of the tree.

Chan nodded, sitting down beside Felix.

“Only weddings?”

“Only weddings,” Felix confirmed, a small smile on his lips as he seemed to snap out of his daze. “The other celebrations, like the coming Midsummer celebration, are held at the outskirts of the forest. This place is special.”

“I understand why,” Chan said, his eyes drifting towards the two trees that towered over them.

“It’s said that before the New World was created, a group of individuals set out to push back the evil that had taken root in this world and when the time came for them to pass to their next life, the gods rose trees in honor for them, and for as long as the souls walk between lives, the trees shall remain alive.”

“Oh,” Chan said softly.

“There’s different takes on that story of course,” Felix said, looking back up at the trees. “Some say that these trees are two people, sharing a love so strong that when they passed away, they became trees so that they would never have to leave their lovers' side,” he explained and Chan nodded. “Some say that it’s a curse on two people who shared a forbidden love and their bodies were encased by these trees to keep them from each other.” He brushed his fingers over the roots again. “The intertwined roots were their last attempt to reach for each other.”

“That’s a sad version of it,” Chan said, scrunching his nose. “I don’t like that one.”

“I don’t either,” Felix said, breaking out in a wide smile. “I prefer the one where they become trees to never have to physically leave each other. It’s quite the sweet story.”

“It truly is,” Chan said, his eyes wandering towards the tree tops. “Do you think it’s true?”

“I don’t know,” Felix said and when Chan looked back down at him, he gestured for Chan to come closer. They shifted a bit, leaning back against the root and Felix leaned his head on Chan’s shoulder. “Anything could be possible, really.”

“True.”

There was a moment where they once again just listened to the sounds all around them. Felix took Chan’s hand again, lacing their fingers together but he didn’t say anything.

“Are you prepared for the midsummer celebrations?” Felix asked, breaking the silence between them. “I made sure to invite your family this time too.”

“You did?”

“Yes.” Felix nodded. “But I got word back that only your youngest brother would attend. Hyunjung is in the middle of some peace negotiations with the Water Kingdom.”

“Ah.”

“So Jeongin should arrive here in a few days.”

“I heard you invited the Earth Tribes as well,” Chan said and Felix hummed. “You made sure to include Hyunjin as well.”

“How do you know?” Felix asked and Chan could hear the grin in his voice.

“I received a letter from Hyunjin the other day.”

“Aw, he couldn’t have let it be a surprise,” Felix said with a pout. “What a shame.”

Chan laughed, his smile so wide and he leaned his head against Felix’s. “Thank you for inviting him though.”

“He’s your friend and I know you’d like to see him if you could, of course I would invite him,” Felix said.

“Still,” Chan said, tightening his grip of Felix’s hand. “Thank you.”

  
  


“Is this really necessary?” Chan asked, unable to hold back a smile as Felix pulled back his hand from his face.

“Of course it is,” Felix said, dipping his finger into the white paint again. “It’s the midsummer celebrations. Very special occasion.”

“I’m just thinking that me wearing face paint might be a bit too much, don’t you think?” Chan asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Why would it be too much?” Felix asked, a smile on his lips. He looked over Chan’s face, eyes lingering on the markings he had drawn on Chan’s skin. He then brushed the back of his fingers against Chan’s cheek, over the skin that was not covered with paint.

”This is a part of your culture, not mine and I… and I don’t know if I should partake in this, you know?” Chan said sheepishly, gaze shifting down to look at the floor. ”I feel a bit out of place.”

”If anything, this is to let you see another side of my culture,” Felix said with a warm smile. ”And I…” He trailed off and took a deep breath. “We’re partners. Not married or joined by ceremony but,” he licked his lips, “I want to carry the same rune as you tonight. Just to display to everyone that we’re partners.”

“Oh.” Chan felt his face heat up.

“Is that too much?”

“No,” Chan said, shaking his head. “It’s not. I just- It’s new. I didn’t- I didn’t think it would be a thing.”

“It is,” Felix said, dipping his finger into the paint again. “It looks good on you,” he continued, smile on his lips as he continued to paint Chan’s face. His touch was so light that Chan could barely feel it. “And the Fire Tribes colors look good on you too.”

Chan’s face was too warm for comfort and he twisted a bit in his chair. “Stop,” he said, averting his eyes as Felix placed the paint to the side and reached for a towel to dry his hands.

“You look pretty,” Felix said, carefully taking Chan’s face in his hands and he leaned closer to nuzzle his nose against Chan’s.

“Thank you,” Chan mumbled, his face still warm as Felix pulled back. He stood up. “I should go and check on Jeongin,” he said and Felix nodded. “I’ll bring him to the bonfire before the celebrations start.”

“That sounds great,” Felix said, smiling widely. “I’ll go and check with my mother if she needs any help before it all starts.”

“I’ll see you later then.” Chan pressed a quick kiss on Felix’s bare cheek before heading out the door.

Jeongin was staying in his own house, with his traveling companions from the Ice Kingdom and the house wasn’t too far away from Felix and Chan’s. During his short walk there, Chan was met with members of the tribe as they made their way towards the celebration area. Everyone looked so happy and Chan felt thankful to be part of a celebration like this.

“Jeongin?” Chan called out as he pushed the door to Jeongin’s temporary place open. He peered inside and made eye contact with his younger brother.

They had met yesterday when Jeongin had arrived, but it had been late and they had not had a lot of time to catch up. He would be staying here for a good while though and that made Chan very happy. During the time in the Fire Tribes, he had built himself a life that was very different from the one in the Ice Kingdom and he couldn’t wait to share it with Jeongin.

“Hello brother,” Jeongin said as he stood up. He was wearing very typical attire from the Ice Kingdom, a pristine white suit with lace and a pale blue ribbon tied around his neck. His platinum blond hair stuck in every direction possibly. He gave Chan a quick look over before hugging him. “I see the Cleric’s son got you into their colors.”

“Yes,” Chan said, his face once again heating up and he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. “He managed to talk me into it. For the celebrations.”

“It looks good on you,” Jeongin said and Chan chuckled.

“Thank you,” he said, pausing to look around the room. “How are you today? Did you sleep well?”

“I did,” Jeongin said with a small nod. “Everyone here are very nice and welcoming. I look forward to spending some time here. I spoke to Jisung briefly yesterday and he seemed to like it here as well.”

“I barely see Jisung these days, he's busy with Minho." Chan laughed and Jeongin grinned. "But I look forward to having you here,” Chan said, reaching out to ruffle Jeongin’s hair. Jeongin let out a whine and swatted at Chan’s hand. Chan only laughed and pulled Jeongin for a hug. He had intended to make it a short hug but as he loosened the grip of Jeongin, about to pull away, Jeongin tightened the grip and held Chan close. “Oh.”

“I missed you,” Jeongin mumbled into Chan’s shoulder. He was starting to get really tall and Chan wasn’t sure if he was ready to miss Jeongin growing up. His chest tightened and he held Jeongin close. “You look so happy and relaxed here,” Jeongin continued.

“I am,” Chan replied, pressing a kiss into Jeongin’s hair. “I’m so, so happy. But I missed you too, Jeongin. I missed you so much.”

“I said I wasn’t going to cry,” Jeongin mumbled, letting out a quiet sniffle before he pressed his nose into Chan’s shoulder.

“It’s okay to cry,” Chan said, his own voice getting choked up as well. “Better to cry it out now than to cry at tonight’s celebrations I guess.”

“My eyes will be puffy,” Jeongin argued.

“True,” Chan said with a short laugh. He rubbed Jeongin’s back and Jeongin tightened his grip of Chan. “Are you looking forward to tonight?”

“I am. I’ve never been to any celebrations in the Tribes so… It’s exciting.” He paused and took a deep breath, grip of Chan loosening when he pulled back. “I’m a bit nervous though. Beside you, I’m the only one from the Ice Kingdom there and I’m…”

“You’ll be okay,” Chan said, brushing Jeongin’s cheek. “I promise you will. There’ll be kids your age there too, so maybe you can meet new friends tonight.”

“Maybe,” Jeongin said absentmindedly, but he didn’t seem too convinced.

“Come,” Chan said, taking Jeongin’s hand. “I’ll give you a quick tour of the village before the celebrations begin. That’ll take your mind off things.”

Jeongin didn’t have time to protest before Chan pulled him out the door.

  
  


“Well, well. Look who we got here,” came a familiar voice and Chan turned around to see Hyunjin. His blond hair was pulled back, chains adorning the sides of his head and he was dressed in the usual pale yellow color of the Air Kingdom, with a ridiculously large amount of fabric wrapped around him. Chan couldn’t help the laugh. Hyunjin looked Chan from head to toe. “And in the clothes of the Fire Tribes too.”

“Hello Hyunjin,” Chan said, smile stretching on his lips and he reached out to take Hyunjin’s hand, bringing it to his lips to press a kiss on his fingers. “You look like you’re wearing too much clothes for this weather.”

“You’re such a gentleman, my prince, you’re making me all giddy,” Hyunjin teased, ignoring Chan’s comment and Chan snorted.

“Don’t let your fiancé hear that.”

“Too late,” a new voice said and a short man joined Hyunjin’s side.

He was dressed in a similar style to Felix, the only change being the color palette. Instead of the warm oranges, yellows and reds, he was wearing darker greens and brown with a few accents of brighter green colors. He had similar face paint to what the Fire Tribes wore, except the lack of a rune on his forehead. He looked at Chan with hooded, almost sleepy eyes but a lighthearted grin on his lips.

“I’m Changbin,” he said. “From the Earth Tribes.”

“I’m Chan.”

“The Prince of the Ice Kingdom if I’m not mistaken.”

“Ah, yes, but please just call med Chan.”

“You’re so boring my prince,” Hyunjin said with a playful roll of his eyes and Chan snorted. Changbin looked amused as his eyes flickered between Chan and Hyunjin. Hyunjin hooked his arm with Changbin’s, immediately clinging on his fiancé.

“Have you two known each other for a long time?”

“Since I was about fifteen or so,” Hyunjin said and Chan nodded. “My parents brought me to a very formal party in the Ice Kingdom,” he said and Chan shook his head at the memory. Hyunjin shuddered. “The parties in the Ice Kingdom are… something.”

“They sure are,” Chan said with a chuckle. “They’re not that entertaining. Very boring and political.”

“I hope to see a change now that your sister is the Ice Empress.”

“I hope so too,” Chan said. He turned back to Changbin. “So Changbin, what do you do? Hyunjin didn’t talk much about you when I last met him.”

“You didn’t?” Changbin asked, placing a hand on his chest. “I’m wounded, my love.”

“Stop being so dramatic,” Hyunjin said, slapping Changbin’s arm playfully.

“I’m a hunter for my village,” Changbin said, turning back to Chan. “Not the highest ranking position I could have, but I enjoy it and we need our hunters.”

“You’re perfect,” Hyunjin murmured, pressing a quick kiss on Changbin’s cheek.

“You two are sickeningly sweet,” Chan commented, crossing his arms over his chest. He didn’t miss the way Changbin’s ears began to turn red.

Hyunjin stuck out his tongue. “Don’t think I didn’t see you and Felix earlier.”

“I didn’t say you two weren’t cute,” Chan said, raising his hands and Hyunjin looked pleased. In the moment of silence, Chan turned to look around them, brows twitching before he turned to Hyunjin. “You wouldn’t have happened to have seen Jeongin?”

“I saw him sneak off earlier with a boy from the Earth Tribes,” Hyunjin said, glancing around as well. He looked at Changbin, brows furrowed. “What was his name again?”

“Seungmin,” Changbin said and Hyunjin nodded. “He’s around Jeongin’s age, if I’m not mistaken.” He looked at Chan. “He’s seventeen.”

“Ah, Jeongin is sixteen so they’re close in age.”

“Always good to make new friends, especially in gatherings like this,” Hyunjin said and Chan nodded. Hyunjin straightened his back and let his gaze wander again. “Now if you excuse us, Ice Prince, I think my fiancé and I shall do some more socializing before retiring for tonight. I hope that is alright with you.”

“Of course, Hyunjin,” Chan said, rolling his eyes. “It was nice to see you in good health, and it was very nice to finally meet you Changbin.”

“The pleasure is mine, your highness.”

“No,” Chan said, raising a hand. “Just Chan.”

“Chan,” Changbin said with a nod. “I’ll remember.”

“I hope you’ll invite me to the wedding.”

“Of course,” Hyunjin said, waving his hand in the air and an easy smile on his lips. “I’ll see you later, Ice Prince.”

And with that, Chan was alone in the group of people. He was just about to start looking for Felix when a warm hand grabbed his arm. He spun around, eyes wide in surprise as he came face to face with Felix. Before he could say anything, Felix grabbed his face and kissed him. Chan’s face began warm immediately but he didn’t pull away, instead he kissed back.

“Do you want to get out of here?” Felix asked, his lips still brushing against Chan’s.

“Yes,” Chan whispered, his heart fluttering as Felix took his hand and began to drag him away from the celebrations.

  
  


The stubborn midsummer sun refused to set as the two of them ran giggling across the field, away from the village and the celebrations. The soil was soft under their bare feet and Chan suddenly understood why Felix opted to keep his shoes off. Eventually they slowed down, their breathing heavy and laughter caught in their throats. They paused for just a second before they continued to walk, aimlessly making their way across the large field.

The yellow grass was tall and Chan had to walk carefully as he could not see the uneven ground in front of him. He had taken after Felix and stopped wearing shoes a while back, and he sighed in contentment as the cool soil came in contact with his soles.

“How are you fairing?” Felix asked, breaking the silence as he came to a halt. He looked to the sky, to the sun that hung low in the sky but was too stubborn to set. “In this warmer climate I mean,” he continued, looking down at Chan. In this light, Felix's hair looked like it was actual flames and the sunlight reflected on the few specs of gold in the face paint. “How was the celebration before I stole you away?”

“The climate doesn’t really bother me, love,” Chan said, reaching out to take Felix’s hand. “It’s not like I’m going to melt or anything. Although I do agree it does get hot sometimes. And the celebration was wonderful. I much prefer this one over the one in the Ice Kingdom.”

“Summer isn’t even here yet,” Felix pointed out, grinning at Chan as he gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “If it becomes too much, we can always go back to the Ice Kingdom.”

“I think I can become used to this,” Chan said, tugging at Felix’s hand to pull him closer. He brushed his free hand over the red and golden sun on Felix’s forehead, studying it before looking down to meet Felix’s eyes. “Does your eyes change color?”

“A little. When my body gets warmer, my eyes gets brighter,” he explained, leaning in to press his lips against Chan’s. His lips were warmer than usual and soft, but Chan could feel the slightly rough patch of the dried paint on his bottom lip.

“I’m so unbelievably in love with you,” Chan whispered as they parted and Felix smiled, pressing a short kiss on Chan’s lips before leaning back. He studied Chan’s face for a moment before he reached out to brush his finger over Chan’s bottom lip.

“I love you,” he said as he ran his finger down the white line of dried paint. He let go of Chan’s hand to cradle his face in both hands and he leaned in to kiss him. “Have you ever played tag?” he asked as he pulled back, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Chan raised an eyebrow before shaking his head.

“Not in a very long time,” he said and Felix pursed his lips. “Why?”

Felix didn’t reply immediately, he just nuzzled his nose against Chan’s. “Tag. You’re it,” he said before letting go of Chan and turning around to run ahead of him. Chan stood there, eyes wide and frozen in place for a moment. “Try to catch me!” Felix called out and that snapped Chan out of his daze.

The laughter echoed across the fields as they ran and Chan’s heart felt so light. He felt happy here. He felt like he was free from all his burdens and duties. He felt like he wasn’t a prince in this moment, he wasn’t someone who had to prove anything. He was just a young man in love.

He was just Chan.

“Tag,” he said, wrapping his fingers around Felix’s wrists but before he could stop, he stepped into a small hole in the ground and stumbled. The soil under them was soft but as he fell, he pulled Felix with him. Felix yelped in surprise as he landed on top of Chan. Chan groaned but the smile never left his face.

“You certainly haven’t been out in nature a lot, my prince,” Felix teased as he gazed down at Chan. The sun was illuminating him from behind, creating the illusion of a halo around his head. Chan found himself at a loss for words as he stared at Felix. “What’s that?” Felix asked teasingly, leaning down to brush his nose against Chan’s. “Cat’s got your tongue?”

“You’re so beautiful,” Chan breathed, reaching out to stroke some of Felix’s hair away from his forehead. He brushed his fingers over the small rune that adorned Felix’s forehead.

Love.

“You’re even more beautiful,” Felix said, running his fingers along Chan’s jaw. “Stunning. Beautiful.” He paused, his expression softening and Chan’s heart fluttered. “And mine.”

“Yes,” Chan said, laughing before he craned his neck to kiss Felix. “All yours.”

Felix stared at him for a moment, lips slightly parted and his chest rising and falling with his calm breaths. Chan stared at him, feeling a small smile tug on his lips.

“What’s on your mind?” Felix asked, brushing his warm fingers over Chan’s cheek.

“It feels like we’ve played tag before,” Chan said absentmindedly, letting out a short laugh as his eyes wandered over the red and pink sky above. “That’s ridiculous, isn’t it?” he asked, snapping back to look into Felix’s eyes.

“It’s not ridiculous,” Felix murmured, leaning down to nuzzle his nose against Chan’s. “Maybe we’ve done it in a previous life,” he joked, shifting to rest his head on Chan’s chest.

Chan laid there, staring up at the sky as the sun continued to set, thinking about what Felix had said. “Maybe we did meet in a previous life,” he breathed. Felix didn’t reply, he only hummed and Chan laughed again. “Must have been a good life,” he said, his hand finding Felix’s.

“Every life with you is a good one.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EYYYYYY this chapter ended up being 839347844 words long wtf
> 
> thank you all so much for the nice comments on the last chapter <333 ily <33
> 
> My twitter is @pinkpunchmango


	3. Until the end of times

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The forest sang.

Felix’s body was buzzing with excitement and nervousness. He had to remind himself every now and then to keep breathing.

“You grew up so well,” his mother whispered, taking Felix’s face in her hands. Felix smiled as she pressed her lips against the rune that adorned the middle of his forehead. She pulled back, moving to trace the vertical line, then the rhombus shape at the bottom of the line and the two diagonal lines. “My little, little love…” she said slowly as she looked him over, “when did you become an adult?”

“I don’t know,” Felix replied, blinking back the tears that threatened to roll down his cheeks. His heart felt like it was growing too big for his ribcage as it was so full of love.

His mother laughed, placing her hand back on his cheek to lean her forehead against his.

“Are you ready?” she asked as she let him go. Felix glanced towards the small bowl with the red paint. His face was already adorned with the vertical line down his nose, the three dots under his left eye and the rune that represented love on his forehead.

“I think I am,” he said, voice wavering ever so slightly. His heart wasn’t racing, but it was beating hard in his ribcage and his hands felt a bit sweaty. If it was because of the red and orange cloak he was wearing or nervousness, he wasn’t sure but he was pretty certain it was the latter. “I’m-” He licked his lips. “I’m really nervous.”

“I’d be surprised if you weren’t,” she said softly. “I was nervous when I bonded with your father as well.”

They didn’t speak about his father much. Not since he had passed away. But when they did, it was always with fondness and while Felix’s heart hurt and he wished nothing but for his father to be with him on this day, he still felt at peace.

“He would be proud,” he whispered to himself.

“Oh baby.” His mother smiled, picking up the bowl in her right hand before dipping her left into the red paint. Her hand trembled just the slightest as she brought her hand up to Felix’s clean cheek. He could see the tears gathering in her eyes as she pressed her warm hand against his skin. “He would be so, so proud of you. You grew up to be such a wonderful young man.”

Felix nodded, tears welling up in his eyes as well.

“There we go,” his mother said, pulling her hand back. She brushed the back of her fingers over his other cheek, the smile never leaving her lips. “I don’t think anyone could have foreseen this when you left for the Ice Kingdom.” She chuckled and placed the paint to the side.

“Yeah,” Felix whispered, turning to look towards the open door to the house. “I… I guess it’s time,” he said, turning back to look at his mother. She nodded as she wiped off the paint from her hand before offering Felix her arm. Felix took a deep breath and hooked arms with her. Together they stepped out of the house.

The path towards the clearing was lined out with pale rhyolite rocks, leading them towards the ceremony. Felix’s heart stuttered in his chest as he recalled the day he had brought Chan here. They had walked this same path, but back then the rocks had not been placed there. The sun was setting, coloring the sky in shades of red, orange, pink and blue. It was beautiful and if it had just been an ordinary evening, Felix would have stopped to admire the sunset but his mind was preoccupied.

In the clearing, in the center of a ring of lit candles, was Chan. He was dressed in white, a very typical outfit for his kingdom but with less layers than he would usually wear. Felix took a deep breath, his heart threatening to burst through his ribcage. Everything felt so right in this very moment. Like they were all meant to be here. It felt like the puzzle pieces finally fell into place.

Felix tore his eyes off Chan for a brief moment, letting his gaze wander. Lanterns were decorating the surroundings and Felix paused at the two trees, his heart stuttering for a moment.

As he looked into the crowd, he was met with wide smiles and that made him feel warm all over. He could see Hyunjin and Changbin, arms hooked together and fond smiles on their lips. They were wearing matching clothes and the matching marks of Earth Tribe members. Beside them were Jeongin, sticking out in the crowd in his white clothes among all the warm and earth toned colors. He was smiling towards Chan and Felix, his eyes occasionally flickering to Seungmin who was standing beside him.

His mother had moved to stand in front of the large trees, facing Felix and Chan. Minho was standing on one side of Felix’s mother, arm hooked with Jisung’s.

Everyone were happy and Felix felt so overwhelmed by it all. He turned back to face Chan, blinking the tears out of his eyes. He couldn’t start crying now, they hadn’t even begun speaking. His hand trembled as he reached out to grab Chan’s, wrapping his warm fingers around Chan’s cold ones. He gave Chan’s hand a squeeze before leaning in to place a quick kiss on Chan’s lips.

“Hi,” he said, unable to hold the smile off his face.

“Hello,” Chan said, the smile on his lips just as wide.

“Are you ready?” Felix’s mother asked.

Chan glanced towards her, nodding. Felix only nodded, not taking his eyes off Chan. He held onto Chan’s hand as his mother began to speak, addressing everyone in the clearing. He focused on keeping his breathing even and his heart calm.

“Felix and Chan,” his mother said and Felix took his eyes off Chan. Chan also turned to her. “You may speak your vows now.”

Felix nodded, his mouth dry as a bowl of paint and a basin of water was brought in front of them. He gave Chan’s hand a last squeeze before letting go. His hands were trembling even more when he dipped his fingers into the paint.

Felix rubbed his hands together, warming the red paint and he exhaled. Chan smiled, loosening the collar of his shirt a little and he reached out to wrap his hands around Felix’s wrists. Without a word, he guided Felix’s hand to his chest to where his heart rested.

“Chan of the Ice Kingdom,” he whispered and with a shuddering breath, his own heart racing in his chest, he pressed his hand against the cold skin of Chan’s chest. He could feel Chan’s heart beat under his palm, strong and steady. “A long time has passed since our first meeting, but I feel like I’ve known your for my whole life.” He swallowed hard. “I know I’m not a prince, and I cannot give you everything that I want to gift to you, but I can give you my love and eternal devotion.

Chan’s breathing was shaky and Felix could see his hands trembling as he reached out to dip his fingers in the paint. He rubbed his hands together, spending a bit more time on warming the paint on his cold skin. Felix tugged at his collar, opening the front of his shirt.

“Felix of the Fire Tribes,” Chan began, his voice steady and he looked at Felix with such soft eyes that it made Felix’s heart just melt. “I do not care for the world nor do I wish to receive the world. All I care for is you.” He carefully pressed his hand against Felix’s chest, his palm resting over Felix’s heart. “Nothing matters to me, as long as I get to be with you,” he whispered, words only for Felix to hear and he pulled his hand back to wash the paint off.

There was a moment of silence as Felix waited for Chan to continue. He held his breath.

Chan reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small necklace. Dangling off a silver chain was a teardrop shaped crystal. Felix’s heart stuttered in his chest.

“In the Ice Kingdom, we have our own way of making vows,” Chan said, his voice wavering and Felix blinked, tears threatening to roll down his cheeks at any moment now. “This necklace, made out of ice, shall not melt for as long as I am breathing.”

The emotions threatened to overwhelm him as Felix held out his hands, palm up to receive the necklace. It wasn’t heavy, but the meaning of it was and Felix took a deep, shuddering breath. He wrapped his fingers around the crystal. The crystal was cold against his warm skin but it did not melt. It could not melt.

Not until Chan’s heart stopped.

He took a deep breath, trying to get in control of his emotions again and he held the crystal necklace to his chest. He held it there for a second before putting it around his neck. His heart stuttered in his chest as the crystal touched his chest.

The words from his mother, the speech he had heard a dozen times as he had prepared for this position himself, faded into the background. Nothing existed but Chan.

Tears were welling up in Chan’s clear blue eyes and as they rolled down his cheeks, Felix couldn’t stop himself. He reached out and took Chan’s face in his hands. His heart was growing too big for his chest and he tried his best to keep breathing.

“I love you,” Chan whispered.

“I love you too,” Felix replied, not really caring about anything else in this very moment.

“Can I-” Chan paused, swallowing hard and he looked over at Felix’s mother.

“In front of our ancestors, and with a promise of devotion and love, a bond has been formed,” she said, her voice loud and clear.

Felix held his breath.

“You may kiss,” she continued, a warm smile on her lips.

Felix didn’t wait a second. He brought Chan’s face closer, pressing their lips together. Chan’s hands quickly found Felix’s hips, tugging him closer.

“I love you, I love you, I love you,” Chan mumbled between the kisses, most of his words swallowed up by Felix.

“I love you so much,” Felix replied, pulling back for a brief moment to look at Chan. “I’m- I cannot- I can’t wait to spend the rest of forever with you,” he said, brushing some of Chan’s blond hair away from you.

“I can’t wait to have you by my side,” Chan whispered, leaning closer to nuzzle his nose against Felix’s. “Never leave me, my love, for I am nothing without you.”

“And I am nothing without you,” Felix said, kissing Chan again. He sighed against Chan’s lips, a happy and content sigh. “I’ll love you until the end of time, if you let me.”

“Of course,” Chan said, taking his hand off Felix’s hip to brush his thumb over the dried paint on Felix’s cheek.

  
  


When Felix had been asked to pretend to be the son of the Lawkeeper, he had been sceptic. He wasn’t impressed by the rumors about the Ice Kingdom and he wasn’t excited to be interacting closely with the prince. But when looking back, Felix couldn’t be thankful enough that he let himself be persuaded.

As the celebrations of their union continued, Felix couldn’t take his eyes off Chan. The night was a blur; a hurricane of happiness and love. When they finally retreated back to their home, Felix held onto Chan’s hand tightly.

He wasn’t sure what the future would bring them, but he was sure that as long as he had Chan, he would be okay.

They would be okay.

  
  
  


_ fin. _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_ The raven let out a caw as it watched the celebrations below. It was perched on one of the oak’s branches. The leaves rustled in the wind, brushing over the leaves of the cedar beside it. The raven tilted its head as it watched the prince of ice and the boy of fire. There was a content hum in the air, as if nature had been satisfied by the display below. The raven stretched its wings wide and took off.  _

_ The flap of wings echoed over the peaceful forest as the raven soared across the sky. It kept glancing down into the forest until it spotted its decided destination. It let out another caw, diving down among the old trees.  _

_ As it landed on a fallen tree, the forest seemed to hold its breath. Silence wrapped around the raven as it sat there, waiting.  _

_ A rustle caused the raven to turn its head and it looked towards the stag. The stag’s steps were careful and the air filled with a gentle chim from the ornaments that dangled from its antlers. The raven puffed its feather, a low croak sounding as the stag stopped in front of the fallen tree.  _

_ The sounds of the forest returned as the stag’s snout brushed against the raven’s beak. Both animals looked up and around the forest as nature carried the word about what had happened in the clearing. _

_ For this forest sang. And it would never stop singing. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That last part is for y'all who've read the soulbound series. I hope you'll enjoy that lil cameo of our favorite boys
> 
> Thank you all SO much for reading this frankenstein of a story ;; i wrote like 1/3 of it last year and then was hit by writers block and life happened o<-< I'm so thankful for all the support and love ;; 
> 
> You can find me on @pinkpunchmango on twt <3 
> 
> Thank you!

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, I'm posting stuff again?? who am i??? jhdfhfd  
> Hi ;w; I've missed y'all ;w; hopefully i'll be able to keep this fic to just three chapters! There's probably some mistakes here and there and for those I am: sorry
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! <3 Big big BIG thank you to Cate who sent me a really sweet message about soulbound and that kicked my motivation to write this ;w;
> 
> You can find me on twt @ pinkpunchmango


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